April 2, 2025
roughshod
Featured
Fossil Word
Every day one two-word expression or compound word used in American English.
Fossil Word
To ride roughshod over someone is to act without regard for their feelings or opinions. It comes from shoeing horses with protruding nails to prevent slipping on icy or muddy surfaces. Shod as its own word is gone and it has become fossilized into two remaining uses: slipshod and roughshod.
Rate of Appearance in English Language Print
Google's Ngram project shows how often a pair of words has appeared in print every year since the 1800's.
Data from Google Books Ngram Viewer. Licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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The Wordcels Puzzle
Think you've mastered Americanisms? The two-word phrases, compound words and idiomatic expressions of American English? Each day the Wordcels Puzzle provides 15 words that must be arranged to form 16 expressions. Give it a try.
