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rough edge

rough edge

1 4.7
A sharp, uneven part that can cut, or a small fault in a person's way of behaving
  • noun
  • /rʌf ɛdʒ/
translation icon : 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

256 1.0

A surface that is even and not rough

10 5.9

A polished, elegant way of acting that shows good taste

How Rough

serrated
5.4
jagged
22 3.6
rough edge
1 4.7
uneven
42 2.3
smooth
256 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.