Meaning & use
roughneck
Last updated
A laborer who works on an oil drilling rig, performing heavy manual tasks; more broadly, a rowdy or tough person.
See it in a sentence
The roughnecks worked twelve-hour shifts on the offshore platform.
He had a reputation as a roughneck back in his younger years.
A note on using this word
The oilfield sense arose in early 20th-century America, distinguishing manual rig laborers from the more skilled roustabouts and engineers.
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