rough ride

Noun

rough ride (plural rough rides)

1. (slang) The practice of not applying a seat belt to a handcuffed detainee in a transport vehicle before driving erratically, causing that detainee to be violently shaken about.
   • Near-synonym: diesel therapy
   • This protocol was put into place to address an informal police policy known as “rough rides.” A rough ride is a form of police brutality where handcuffed individuals are placed in transport vans without being secured by a seatbelt while an officer drives erratically. Rough rides in the Baltimore...2017 May 12, Gina Robertiello, The Use and Abuse of Police Power in America: Historical Milestones and Current Controversies, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 301

   Synonyms:

   nickel ride, cowboy ride, screen test, diesel therapy

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see rough, ride.
   • Will this decision-making paralysis continue until Great British Railways has been established and settled into a new rhythm? If so, passengers on the West of England line are in for a rough ride, as the reliability of these tired old British Rail trains inevitably declines, and maintenance costs...2026 February 18, Paul Clifton, “West of England Line problems laid bare”, in RAIL, page 7