rough-house

rough·house

[n. ruhf-hous; v. ruhf-hous, -houz] noun, plural rough·hous·es [-hou-ziz] , verb, rough·housed [-houst, -houzd] , rough·hous·ing [-hou-sing, -zing] .
noun
1.
rough, disorderly playing, especially indoors.
verb (used without object)
2.
to engage in rough, disorderly play.
verb (used with object)
3.
to handle roughly but with playful intent: to roughhouse the cat.
Origin:
1885–90, Americanism; rough + house

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
roughhouse (ˈrʌfˌhaʊs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  rough, disorderly, or noisy behaviour
 
—vb
2.  to treat (someone) in a boisterous or rough way

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Rough-house is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

rough-house
1887, as a noun, "uproar, disturbance," from rough (adj.) + house. The verb is first attested c.1897.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

roughhouse definition


and roughneck
  1. n.
    a mean kid; a boisterous child, usually male. : Jimmy! Stop acting like such a roughhouse.
  2. in.
    to be boisterous. : The boys broke the lamp when they were roughnecking around in the family room.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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