roughneck
4
6.9
- noun
- /ˈrʌfˌnɛk/
- US
:
trabajador de plataforma petrolera
- The roughnecks converge around the wellhead.
- oil roughnecks
- field roughneck
- roughneck on oil rigs
Examples
-
After years of hard work on the oil rig, he became a skilled roughneck respected by his peers.
-
She married a roughneck, moved to Casper.
-
Worked as a roughneck two summers during college.
Fiction book (1995) -
I was a roughneck, that's all I ever did.
-
You're a roughneck in the oil patch, Chris.
-
And the injury rate and death rate for roughnecks was astronomical.
-
They're the best roughnecks in the country, but they don't have your book smarts.
-
Roughneck Bennie Morgan, late 20s, an ox of a man, comes across the platform, pulling on oily green coveralls and donning his hard hat.
Fiction book (1998) -
So he worked as a roughneck on drilling rigs and as a jug-hustler with a seismograph outfit, then began contracting to build board roads in the marsh for the Texaco Company.
Fiction book (1991) -
Many roughnecks are known for their toughness and dedication to long hours in challenging conditions.
Synonyms
5
2.0
A person who finds, gets, or sells oil
2
9.9
A person who does hard, simple physical work, often on ships or oil fields
1
3.0
A person who does hard work using their hands
1
7.5
A person who works on an oil rig handling drilling equipment
A person who works on an oil platform to get or process oil
Compounds
- Informal
A tough, fearless, sometimes aggressive way of behaving that ignores rules and risks
How Tough
- Specialized
- US
4
6.9
49
1.7
- US
68
1.0
273
2.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Roughneck comes from the same parts rough and neck, and people began to use it for tough, hard-working laborers who did dirty, physical jobs. So a roughneck today can mean a strong, hands-on worker, for example on an oil rig.