rough trade
Dangerous romantic partners
Rough trade is gay slang for a masculine, working-class man sought as a sexual partner, often one who projects an air of danger or volatility.
The term originally implied someone who might be violent or unpredictable, adding an element of risk to the encounter.
It has broadened somewhat to describe any aggressively masculine type, particularly one whose roughness is part of the attraction.
He had a thing for rough trade he'd pick up at dive bars.
Aggressive, unscrupulous earner
- cruisingMoving at relaxed pace
- pickupSmall open-bed truck
- anonymousOf unknown origin
- casualRelaxed and informal
hookup · street · underground · queer · gay · scene · bar · nightlife
Possibility of harm
- violenceHarmful physical force
- edginessRestless nervous tension
- gritDetermination or abrasive particles
- vulnerabilityOpenness to harm
uncertainty · desperation · recklessness · threat · menace · shady · underworld · crime
Male in character
- ruggedTough and uneven
- working-classManual laborers as group
- leatherTanned animal skin
- denimTough cotton twill
boots · tattoos · stubble · muscular · blue-collar · tough · raw · unpolished
Produced outside majors
- post-punkExperimental rock after '77
- alternativeAnother available choice
- labelIdentifying attachment or marker
- vinylSynthetic resin plastic
shop · London · distribution · underground · DIY · counterculture
hustler
Aggressive, unscrupulous earner
casual · hookup · street · underground · queer · gay · scene · bar · nightlife · counterculture
risk
Possibility of harm
- violenceHarmful physical force
- edginessRestless nervous tension
- gritDetermination or abrasive particles
vulnerability · uncertainty · desperation · recklessness · threat · menace · shady · underworld · crime · brutality
masculine
Male in character
- ruggedTough and uneven
- working-classManual laborers as group
- leatherTanned animal skin
denim · boots · tattoos · stubble · muscular · blue-collar · tough · raw · unpolished · gritty
indie
Produced outside majors
- post-punkExperimental rock after '77
- alternativeAnother available choice
- labelIdentifying attachment or marker
vinyl · shop · London · distribution · underground · DIY · counterculture
- Diamondsdiamonds, carats, facets, polished diamonds, carat weight
- emerald miningColombia, Zambia, Brazil, shaft, tunnel
rough tradegentleman caller
Male romantic visitor
kept man · sugar daddy · twink · femme · pretty boy
rough traderomance
Love and its excitement
lovemaking · courtly love · wooing · committed relationship · marital relations
rough, trade, rougher, roughest, roughly, roughness, roughen, roughened, roughening