ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE

1. n. Very rough, hard fighting or arguing that does not follow any rules. There was a rough-and-tumble on the street last night between some soldiers and sailors. Many people don't like the rough-and-tumble of politics. 2. adj. Fighting or arguing in a very rough and reckless way; struggling hard; not following rules or laws. It took strong men to stay alive in the rough-and-tumble life of the western frontier.