Where does the term riding roughshod come from?

Where does the term riding roughshod come from?

Back in the 17th century, according to The Word Detective, a horse that was “roughshod” wore horseshoes with nailheads projecting from the bottom of the shoe. Bad enough to be trampled by a horse; worse to be trampled by a roughshod horse. So to ride roughshod originally meant “to crush brutally.”

What does it mean to ride roughshod over someone?

: to completely ignore the rights, opinions, or feelings of others They accused the government of riding roughshod over international law.

How do you use ride roughshod in a sentence?

1) He rode roughshod over all opposition to his ideas. 2) The planning authorities should not ride roughshod over the wishes of local people. 3) The committee rode roughshod over the wishes of the union members. 4) We cannot ride roughshod over the concerns of the local community.

What is the meaning of the idiom to ride the high horse?

To be on one’s high horse means to act in an arrogant or haughty fashion. Eventually, the phrase came to mean the attitude assumed by someone who could afford to ride a tall horse.

What does running shod mean?

There are pros and cons to running both barefoot and shod, shod meaning running with a shoe. For barefoot running one of the pros is that you strengthen the intrinsic muscles of the foot and the ankle in addition to the natural arch of the foot. Also barefoot running requires less energy.

What does red rag to a bull mean?

Definition of a red rag to a bull —used of something that makes a person very angry Just mentioning his poor marks to him was like a red rag to a bull.

What does being high handed mean?

: having or showing no regard for the rights, concerns, or feelings of others : arbitrary, overbearing. Other Words from high-handed Synonyms & Antonyms Learn More About high-handed.

What is the meaning of to hit below the belt?

To say something that is often too personal, usually irrelevant, and always unfair: “To remind reformed alcoholics of their drinking problem is to hit below the belt.” The expression comes from boxing, in which it is illegal to hit an opponent below the belt.

Is barefoot running better than shod running?

With research indicating that barefoot running is more metabolically efficient than shod running, running barefoot should theoretically be faster than running shod since any mass added to the foot increases the oxygen cost of running.