ride roughshod over
To treat (someone) roughly or without care, control, moderation, or respect; to act in a bullying manner toward (someone); to damage (someone or something).
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The boss likes to ride roughshod over everyone's ideas.”
“You cannot ride roughshod over my feelings just because you are angry.”
“The new manager tends to ride roughshod over the team's concerns, ignoring their feedback during every meeting.”
“The developers decided to ride roughshod over the local community's wishes by building a massive parking lot where the park used to be.”
“By choosing to ride roughshod over the established safety protocols, the company risked the well-being of its employees for the sake of higher profits.”
A horse is roughshod if its shoes are fitted with calks, which are projecting metal points designed to prevent slipping. The idiom draws from the physical damage these projections inflict upon whatever the animal is ridden over. The term appeared in its literal sense by the late 17th century, describing the necessary preparation for a horse to maintain traction on icy or slippery terrain at the expense of the ground beneath it.
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free ride
An opportunity or benefit which has no cost, especially one enjoyed or undertaken at the expense of others.
- 02
full ride
A scholarship that covers all tuition, and in some cases fees or other educational and living expenses as well.
- 03
go along for the ride
To accompany someone in a passive manner, or to take a relatively passive or detached role in a project or group activity.
- 04
Nantucket sleigh ride
An instance of the dragging of a whaleboat across the surface of a body of water by a harpooned whale.
- 05
ridden hard and put away wet
Mistreated; not properly cared for.
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ride down
To cause (a horse) to fall when riding.
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ride hard and put away wet
To mistreat (someone or something); to not properly care for.
- 08
ride herd on
To supervise.
Last updated August 10, 2026