roughy

roughy — noun

1. a small silvery fish found in the coastal waters of southern Australia, caught f

1.nounC2
Definition

a small silvery fish found in the coastal waters of southern Australia, caught for food and often called 'tommy rough'

Example

Isabela fried the fresh roughy in butter and served it with lemon.

collocation: fresh roughy + cooking verbs (fry, grill, bake)

Nadia's father caught a dozen roughy off the pier at Victor Harbor last weekend.

Common collocations
  • fresh roughy
  • grilled roughy
  • catch roughy
  • school of roughy
  • tommy rough
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

roughy (singular) / roughies (plural)

Usage Note

This fish is more commonly called 'tommy rough' in Australia. It is often caught by recreational anglers in the shallow coastal waters of South Australia and Western Australia. Not to be confused with the deep-water slimehead roughy (sense 2).

Common Mistakes

I bought some roughy from the fish market.' (too vague — two different Australian fish share this name).
I bought some tommy rough from the fish market.
say 'tommy rough' to make clear you mean this coastal species, not the deep-water slimehead.

2. a reddish-brown fish that lives near the ocean floor around southern Australia,

2.nounC2
Definition

a reddish-brown fish that lives near the ocean floor around southern Australia, with a soft body and large eyes, sometimes sold as food and also called slimehead

Example

The marine biologist showed Otis a roughy that had been caught near the continental shelf.

habitat: caught near the continental shelf

Eli noticed the roughy's large eyes, which help it see in the dim ocean depths.

distinctive feature: large dark eyes for deep-water vision

Common collocations
  • deep-sea roughy
  • roughy fillets
  • large-eyed roughy
  • preserved roughy
Synonyms
  • slimehead

    common alternative name referring to the mucus canals on its head

Grammar Patterns

roughy (singular) / roughies (plural)

Usage Note

This species belongs to the slimehead family (Trachichthyidae). The better-known orange roughy is a larger relative found in New Zealand waters. In everyday Australian speech, 'roughy' alone more often refers to the tommy rough (sense 1), so context is important for correct identification.

Common Mistakes

The roughy was caught in shallow water near the beach.
The roughy was caught in deep water near the continental shelf.
the slimehead roughy lives in deeper offshore waters than the tommy rough (sense 1), which stays in shallower coastal bays.

Word family

  • roughies
    noun pluralC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Roughy' is the general term for two different Australian fish, which makes it the least precise word in this group. 'Tommy rough' is the preferred name for the silvery coastal species (Arripis georgianus), especially in South Australia and Western Australia, where it is a popular catch for recreational fishers. 'Australian herring' is an alternative name used in some fishing communities, though it is misleading because the fish is not a true herring. 'Slimehead' refers only to sense 2 (Trachichthys australis), the deep-water species with mucus canals on its head. In a recipe, you would say 'pan-fried tommy rough' to be clear; in a marine biology report, 'roughy' might refer to either species and would need a scientific name for precision.

roughy ↗tommy roughAustralian herringslimehead

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • roughy fishing
  • roughy season

Prepositions

  • of roughy

Etymology

EnglishAustralian English

The word 'roughy' is formed from the adjective 'rough' and the diminutive suffix '-y', referring to the fish's rough or spiny scales. It first appeared in Australian English in the late 1800s, originally applied to the tommy rough (Arripis georgianus). The name was later extended to other Australian fish with a similar appearance, including the slimehead (Trachichthys australis) and eventually the well-known orange roughy of New Zealand.