Rough, with the shakes (5)
I believe the answer is:
rocky
'rough' is the definition.
(synonyms)
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rocky that I've seen before include "Unsteady, unstable" , "Unstable - full of crags" , "Unreliable" , "Hard - unstable" , "'-' Marciano, US boxer" .)