Definition of "rough-and-tumble" []

• Characterized by roughness and disregard for order or rules: rough-and-tumble politics. (adjective)
• A condition marked by rough disorderly struggle; infighting: the rough-and-tumble of national politics. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The new mayor, who takes office May 16, will inherit a budget deficit of at least $500 million, a city government long characterized by rough-and-tumble politics and a shrinking and increasingly Hispanic population."
• "Women owned and operated a large percentage of American taverns before and during the Revolution, especially in the rough-and-tumble port cities."
• "NASCAR pledged the 2010 season would be aimed at placating its hard-core supporters with rough-and-tumble racing, but the recession still ..."