Dic# Rough around the edges

1. 자료: UsingEnglish, http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/rough+around+the+edges.html

If someone is rough around the edges, they haven't mastered something, though they show promise.

2. 자료: WordReference, http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=719943

Hello there,

What would the expression "You looked rough around the edges" mean? I understand it as you "did not look at all well", am I right?

1. The basic meaning is 'unpolished' in either literal or figurative senses. Context would help.
2. Perhaps they meant 'unkempt' if you were looking sloppy and are normally well put-together. Or perhaps they meant something like "the worse for wear," if you had been through a grueling period since they'd seen you last.
3. In Australia the use is to indicate that a person looks slightly ill or unkempt.

It is the description of a person. "He's a serious chap. A little rough around the edges".

It's a phrase, isn't it? What does it mean? thank you.

1. It means that he's not entirely "polished" or sophisticated. A nice guy but probably doesn't know which fork to use at a fancy dinner.
2. If he is "serious" as well as "rough around the edges," it might mean that he doesn't care for social niceties. He may be focused on other things and may behave gruffly, impolitely, or impolitically.
3. I think the phrase comes from making pottery. If you are a good potter, everything is perfect. If you are just learning you could make a very nice pot that has some rough pieces or be rough around the finishing edge. Not perfect, but quite acceptable.
4. I think it can also mean that something is not finished perfectly. For example: "I've put together this cabinet; it's a little rough around the edges, though." Here it means that it has been roughly assembled, and is not a perfect job or finished to a high standard.