“No roughhousing!”
That’s what adults tell American boys when they play.
I never understood it.
First of all, that’s how boys are supposed to play: they run, jump, wrestle and fight.
What do you expect them to do?
Play Uno all day?
And second, why is the word “house” in there?
Why don’t adults say, “Stop playing rough!”
Or, “Play nice, like your sister, Nancy.”
But it’s an idiom, so don’t look for logic or think too hard about it.
ROUGH #2
This week, we’re exploring five ways to use Atomic Word #2,431: Rough.
Meaning #2 is about behavior and violence.
Boys like to play rough.
The baby was too rough with the cat and it scratched him.
He got robbed in a rough area of town.
What else…?
You took a cruise to the Bahamas to relax but the seas were rough and you spent the entire trip barfing in the bathroom.
Last one…
The minister’s wife was into rough sex.
Who said English had to be boring?
TOMORROW: More rough!
Something fantastic thanks so much