ride roughshod over: o que isso significa?

In order to understand that expression, let's try to focus on this word: roughshod. Do you know what that means? If I told you it is the same thing as horseshoes, would it make it any easier? I think so. A roughshod is what you arm a horse with mounted with projecting nails or points, which gives the horse better traction. In Portuguese, we call it "ferradura". So what does the whole expression "ride roughshod over" mean?

So imagine you ride roughshod over someone. That seems harsh, doesn't it? It kind of projects an image of you literally riding roughshod over a person, just like a horse would do with an enemy back in the days. These days, though, in a figurative meaning, when you ride roughshod over someone or something, it means you treat them with disdain or scorn, or maybe brutal force. That reminds us of a bullying behavior.

So imagine you have this boss who's very demanding. There's not a single time he walks around the desks of his employees without riding roughshod over them. And just so you know, you can also ride roughshod over things. So suppose you come into a town and you don't respect their traditions or rules. People start disliking you because you don't seem to be willing to take the effort to fit in. You just want to act in the way you want, ignoring rules, tradition and other people's wishes. You're riding roughshod over the system. That's all for today. Talk to you next time!