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rough edge

rough edge

27 4.7
A sharp, uneven part that can cut, or a small fault in a person's way of behaving
  • noun
  • /rʌf ɛdʒ/
: bisel irregular
  • That'll help buff out any sort of scaling or rough edges on the oil glands themselves.
  • smooth the rough edges
  • sand the rough edges
  • soften the rough edges

And so those little, little edges have been sanded down a little bit, those little rough edges.

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Examples

  • We just chipped away the rough edges.

  • Rough edges left from the cutting operations can be removed with abrasive paper.

    Academic text (2007)
  • I would like to sand the rough edges off my little mission statement.

    Blog text (26)
  • And Mango looks like it is going to round out all the rough edges.

    Blog text (31)
  • Satire somehow seems to smooth the rough edges around a hard message.

    Blog text (9)
  • Little by little, the rough edges were chipped away and the diamond shone through.

    Blog text (31)
  • They smoothed some of my rough edges, like my big mouth, and stood by me no matter the trouble.

    Blog text (26)
  • Giving meaning to their time in the military helped them smooth the rough edges of their trauma, which in turn allowed them to better reintegrate into society.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Before going gold with any kind of 1.00 release, there would be a significant effort to tie down loose ends, a push for greater stability, and smoothing off of rough edges.

    Blog text (26)
  • Be careful while handling the piece of metal; it has a rough edge that might cut you.

Synonyms

edge
vsrough edge
∞ 1.0

Outer part of an object that forms a border, often sharp

is a part of a surface that is uneven and can cause injury

Antonyms

224 1.0

A surface that is even and not rough

12 5.9

A polished, elegant way of acting that shows good taste

How Rough

serrated
18 5.4
jagged
44 3.6
rough edge
27 4.7
uneven
48 2.3
smooth
224 1.0

Surface Forms

rough edge singular
rough edges plural

Morphology

rough + edge

Both the literal meaning (an uneven or coarse boundary of an object) and the common figurative sense (imperfections or lack of refinement) follow directly from combining 'rough' (uneven/coarse) with 'edge' (boundary/part). This compositional and cross-linguistically common pattern makes the phrase readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The phrase rough edge comes from working with wood or metal: a rough edge is a sharp, uneven part that must be smoothed. So, someone with 'rough edges' has small faults or rough behavior that need to be smoothed away.