The phrase, a diamond in the rough, refers to a person who has great potential value which cannot yet be seen clearly—like a young person with talent who still needs to practice their abilities further or clean up their appearance in order for people to recognize their value:
She’s a diamond in the rough; with a little guidance and help, she could be famous.
Diamonds in their natural state may not look like precious stones and are described as being in the rough. They may have dark spots and are rough in texture. In this state, they need to be cut and polished to reveal their beauty.
We can also say “in the rough” for almost anything which requires more work to bring out its value—a drawing, an idea for a song, the rough draft of an essay, even a scientific theory that needs more work.
The idea of comparing a person to a rough diamond first appeared in John Fletcher’s A Wife for a Month, in 1624, where he described a woman, who “will be as hard to cut as a rough diamond.” The first time “diamond in the rough” appeared in print was 1785.
Only the “Diamond in the Rough” May Enter Here
And finally, I’d briefly like to share a memory from my childhood. For some reason, I have memories of the first time I heard—or at least took notice—of certain words and phrases. When I was nine years old, I was taken by the majestic sound and rhythm of this phrase when it was spoken by the fearsome tiger guarding the Cave of Wonders in a scene from Disney’s 1992 animated film Aladdin. That roaring voice echoed in my mind and to this day, any time I hear or read the phrase “diamond in the rough,” I think of this movie.