n. a mean kid; a boisterous child, usually male. : Jimmy! Stop acting like such a roughhouse.
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.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History
rough-neck
1836, "rugged individual," from rough (adj.) + neck. Original context is the Texas frontier, later adpoted to labor organization toughs. Specific sense of "oil rig worker" is recorded from 1917.