Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to act aggressively; to cause a fuss.

1885		‘’Arry on the Elections’ in Punch 12 Dec. 277/2: And if they rough up and cut didos, [...] jolly well like the whole lot!
1890		‘’Arry on the Sincerest Form of Flattery’ in Punch 20 Sept. 144/2: I’m all right and a ’arf, mate, I am, and ain’t going to rough up, no fear!

2. (US) lit. or fig., to beat up, to injure, esp. to intimidate.

1895		‘Harry on ’Arry’ in Punch 17 Aug. in P. Marks (2006) 23: British cads [...] / And the way they rough-up the foreigners.
1904		Morn. Astorian (OR) 27 Aug. 5/2: The stocky little fellow roughed up [...] Muller.
1911		S. Ford Torchy 39: But that didn’t make up for the way he’d roughed Mallory.
1915		Van Loan ‘Sporting Doctor’ in Taking the Count 10: Rough him up in the clinches.
1928		R. Fisher Walls Of Jericho 204: They ain’t roughin’ sho’ nuff, is they?
1942		N. Algren Never Come Morning (1988) 174: You better not try roughin’ that girl up anywhere else, either.
1953		J. Thompson Criminal (1993) 96: I wished I hadn’t roughed him.
1955		B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 13: They had [...] roughed up Joey’s old man a little bit.
1968		G. Slatter Pagan Game (1969) 220: I am wondering if Sumner really did rough up the Thomas girl.
1971		R. Woodley Dealer 81: I think he was gonna rough off somebody that owed him some cash [ibid.] 107: Her husband and her had separated. [...] And he roughed her off a few times, you know.
1972		N.C. Heard To Reach a Dream 33: ‘I don’t like to be gorilla an’ rough it off—but then [...] I hope ya don’t doubt I’ll use this shiv if ya force me’.
1979		D. Maitland Breaking Out 293: Timothy was roughed-up by Crewe.
1986		S. King It (1987) 835: I might have roughed him up a little, but that’s only because when someone talks wrong to you I get a little hot under the collar.
1998		Hip-Hop Connection Dec. 8: Tricky apparently got one of his bodyguards to rough up a writer.
1999		J. Ridley Love Is a Racket 392: Tell him you did it; tell him you roughed me around some.
2001		K. Sampson Outlaws (ms.) 146: Ratter roughed up one of the girls last weekend. Knocked her about bad.
2016		N.G. Van Cleve Crook County 33: [Y]oung, inexperienced, and idealistic—all the reputational markers that could get you roughed up in the courtroom and quickly mark you as an outsider among the inner circle of professionals.
2020		T. Pluck ‘Hula Hula Boys’ in What Pluckery Is This? (28 Jan 2024) 🌐 He’d give them a minute to rough the Jerk up a bit.