rough rider
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.89 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: Something, such as a steam locomotive, that does not travel smoothly when in motion.
noun
Example Sentences
- "It is common knowledge that the Stanier Class 5 4-6-0s can be very rough riders at speed, owing to "knock" in the trailing left-hand axlebox, and this tendency would be eased with any lengthening of the cut-off."
- "because you are full of old festered wounds, you must have corrosive salves, for that is best for you, and the speediest way to recover your health: and forasmuch as you be rough horses, you must have a rough rider, and hard knobby timber must have hard wedges, and hard strokes with a beetle ["mallet"]."
- "Our best rough-rider had mounted him, with a view of thoroughly "taking it out of him," and I never witnessed a better display of horsemanship."
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Military.