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rough and tumble

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rough and tumble

Disorderly scuffling or infighting, as in She had some reservations about entering the rough and tumble of local politics. This expression originated in the late 1700s in boxing, where it referred to a fight without rules. [Mid-1800s]

See also: and, rough, tumble

rough and tumble

mod. disorderly; aggressive. George is too rough and tumble for me. He doesn’t know how to act around civilized people.

See also: and, rough, tumble