noun
roughneck
Roughneck (noun) means a labourer on an oil rig or in the oilpatch, either skilled or semiskilled.
noun
1
A labourer on an oil rig or in the oilpatch, either skilled or semiskilled.
"This first ship had a small geophysical-type drilling rig mounted over the side of the ship with a steel grid runround for the roughnecks, who stood in knee-deep water while making connections or pulling the drill string."
— Elmer P. Wheaton, William Bradford Whitehill Rand (1992)
"As for the minerals, there has been a good deal of drilling along the big river; trucks and roughnecks no longer garner any notice."
— Philipp Meyer, The Son (2013)
2
A manual worker in a low-paid, dirty job, such as in an iron or steel works.
3
(informal) A person who behaves in a rough, badly-mannered way.
"LaTisha has long wanted to show Carole sheʼs not the roughneck she used to be, the roughneck who wasnʼt good enough to be her friend."
— Bernardine Evaristo, Girl (2019)
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Etymology
Formed from rough and neck; it originally meant “someone who works a manual labour job”.
Related words
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of roughneck?
"roughneck" (noun) means a labourer on an oil rig or in the oilpatch, either skilled or semiskilled.
What is another word for roughneck?
Other words for "roughneck" include hooligan, rowdy, ruffian, tough, bully, yobbo.
What are the different meanings of roughneck?
"roughneck" has 3 main meanings: 1. A labourer on an oil rig or in the oilpatch, either skilled or semiskilled; 2. A manual worker in a low-paid, dirty job, such as in an iron or steel works; 3. (informal) A person who behaves in a rough, badly-mannered way.
