roughneck
/ˈɹʌfˌnɛk/ noun, verb
Forms roughnecks roughnecking roughnecked
- noun (colloquial, chiefly US) A labourer on an oil rig or in the oilpatch, either skilled or semiskilled.
- noun (colloquial, chiefly US, dated) A dirty or low-paid worker, a labourer; an ironworker in an ironworks or a steelworker in a steelworks.
- noun (colloquial, chiefly US) Someone with rough manners; a rowdy or uncouth person.
- verb To work as a laborer on an oil rig.
Synonyms
roustabout bully tough hooligan ruffian rowdy yob yobo yobbo
Etymology
From rough + neck, originally "someone who works a manual labour job".
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “roughneck”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details