Meaning
Describes a person, thing, or method that is crude, unpolished, or improvised, yet practical, vigorous, and effective enough for the purpose. It concedes a lack of refinement while approving of results, and is standard in both British and American English. Mildly informal and usually tolerant or affectionate about the lack of polish rather than insulting. Regional use: General English.
Origin
This pairing of opposites is much older than its American associations. The Oxford English Dictionary's earliest evidence is from 1730, in a translation by the English physician and author Peter Shaw, and Merriam-Webster likewise gives 1730 as the first known use; the OED's date range for the adjective runs from 1730 to the present. No single coiner is recorded. The phrase gained wide American currency in the 19th century through General Zachary Taylor, whose informal habits earned him the nickname 'Old Rough and Ready' during his military career before he became president, and a California Gold Rush mining town settled in 1849 took the name Rough and Ready. These later associations popularized the expression in America but played no part in creating it, since documented British use predates Taylor's birth.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- a bit rough and ready
- rough-and-readiness
Usage Examples
- The camp had a rough and ready charm, with tin plates, plank tables, and one battered guitar.
- She did a rough and ready calculation on the back of an envelope and decided the trip was affordable.
- His rough and ready grasp of grammar never stopped him from being the clearest writer in the office.