dirty one's hands

dirty one's hands
get one's hands dirty & dirty one's hands & soil one's hands
1. Fig. to get closely involved in a difficult task. •

You have to get your hands dirty if you expect to get the gutters cleaned out.

2. Fig. to become involved with something illegal; to do a shameful thing; to do something that is beneath one. •

The mayor would never get his hands dirty by giving away political favors.

•

I will not dirty my hands by breaking the law.

* * *
or[soil one's hands] {v. phr.} To lower or hurt one's character or good name; do a bad or shameful thing. * /The teacher warned the children not to dirty their hands by cheating in the examination./ * /I would not soil my hands by going with bad people and doing bad things./

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • dirty\ one's\ hands — • dirty one s hands • soil one s hands v. phr. To lower or hurt one s character or good name; do a bad or shameful thing. The teacher warned the children not to dirty their hands by cheating in the examination. I would not soil my hands by going… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • dirty one's hands — or[soil one s hands] {v. phr.} To lower or hurt one s character or good name; do a bad or shameful thing. * /The teacher warned the children not to dirty their hands by cheating in the examination./ * /I would not soil my hands by going with bad… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • dirty one's hands — ► get one s hands dirty (or dirty one s hands) do manual, menial, or other hard work. Main Entry: ↑dirty …   English terms dictionary

  • dirty one's hands — phrasal : to sully one s moral uprightness or good reputation a man who had never dirtied his hands with political intrigue Bruce Marshall …   Useful english dictionary

  • get one's hands dirty (or dirty one's hands) — do manual, menial, or other hard work. → dirty …   English new terms dictionary

  • soil\ one's\ hands — • dirty one s hands • soil one s hands v. phr. To lower or hurt one s character or good name; do a bad or shameful thing. The teacher warned the children not to dirty their hands by cheating in the examination. I would not soil my hands by going… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • soil one's hands — See: DIRTY ONE S HANDS …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • soil one's hands — See: DIRTY ONE S HANDS …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • get one's hands dirty — ► get one s hands dirty (or dirty one s hands) do manual, menial, or other hard work. Main Entry: ↑dirty …   English terms dictionary

  • dirty — ► ADJECTIVE (dirtier, dirtiest) 1) covered or marked with dirt; not clean. 2) lewd; obscene. 3) dishonest; dishonourable. 4) (of weather) rough and unpleasant. ► ADVERB Brit. informal ▪ used for emphasis: a …   English terms dictionary

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