Green’s Dictionary of Slang

rough up v.

also rough, rough around, rough off

1. to act aggressively; to cause a fuss.

[UK] ‘’Arry on the Elections’ in Punch 12 Dec. 277/2: And if they rough up and cut didos, [...] jolly well like the whole lot!
[UK] ‘’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) to beat up, to injure, esp. to intimidate.

[UK] ‘Harry on ’Arry’ in Punch 17 Aug. in P. Marks (2006) 23: British cads [...] / And the way they rough-up the foreigners.
[US]Morn. Astorian (OR) 27 Aug. 5/2: The stocky little fellow roughed up [...] Muller.
[US]S. Ford Torchy 39: But that didn’t make up for the way he’d roughed Mallory.
[US]Van Loan ‘Sporting Doctor’ in Taking the Count 10: Rough him up in the clinches.
[US]R. Fisher Walls Of Jericho 204: They ain’t roughin’ sho’ nuff, is they?
[US]N. Algren Never Come Morning (1988) 174: You better not try roughin’ that girl up anywhere else, either.
[US]J. Thompson Criminal (1993) 96: I wished I hadn’t roughed him.
[US]B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 13: They had [...] roughed up Joey’s old man a little bit.
[NZ]G. Slatter Pagan Game (1969) 220: I am wondering if Sumner really did rough up the Thomas girl.
[US]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.
[US]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’.
[Aus]D. Maitland Breaking Out 293: Timothy was roughed-up by Crewe.
[US]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.
[US]Hip-Hop Connection Dec. 8: Tricky apparently got one of his bodyguards to rough up a writer.
[US]J. Ridley Love Is a Racket 392: Tell him you did it; tell him you roughed me around some.
[UK]K. Sampson Outlaws (ms.) 146: Ratter roughed up one of the girls last weekend. Knocked her about bad.
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.

In derivatives

roughing-match (n.)

a prizefight distinguished by fouls or near-fouls.

[UK]Mirror of Life 23 Mar. 10/3: No one in the wide, wide world can ever make him believe that he did not get it ‘in the neck’ [...] when the referee called the Smith-Walcott ‘roughing match’ a draw.