The phrase "actually rough" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is unexpectedly difficult or challenging, often in a casual or conversational context.
Example: "I thought the hike would be easy, but it was actually rough and exhausting."
Alternatives: "quite tough" or "really challenging".
"Loud neckties," "sweet voices," "round notes," "white noise" (it's gray, actually), "rough wine" and "flat taste" are easily comprehended and not considered bizarre; to say such expressions are metaphors is to beg the question.
"I started this as a way to gain a little bit of confidence so now I can actually rough out a little bit of a rudimentary storyboard".
It was one of the weirdest days because once we'd got to Port Clarence – as I say we were a rough side – we found a team that was actually rougher than ourselves.
If the prospect of enjoying the first experience while avoiding the second is attractive, that is where "glamping" ("glamour" plus "camping") comes in, offering nature without actually roughing it.
Jeans are totally inappropriate for parkour as they greatly restrict leg movement and are actually rougher than most people think.
"It's really rough, actually," Petersen said.
I don't hold the tarantulas because it stresses them out, but I have touched them gently; they look fluffy, but the hairs are actually quite rough.
Q. Did you ever actually encounter rough weather during the filming? A. We went out in Tropical Storm Floyd, and there were some pretty unhappy campers that day.
One word of warning: as I've said before, playing an instrument and being an entertainer can cover lots of flaws and if you turned your back to the TV and just listened to his vocals, they were actually quite rough at numerous points of the song.
There were so many incidents when she was not actually physically roughed up, but people banged on the side of the van, hoping to get her out and waving her stick, that I always had one eye on her and it stopped me working.
