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.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
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
get one's hands dirty (or dirty one's hands) — do manual, menial, or other hard work. → dirty … English new terms dictionary
get one's hands dirty — do manual, menial, or other hard work unlike most chairmen, he gets his hands dirty working alongside the other managers ■ informal become involved in dishonest or dishonorable activity they can make a lot of money, but fat cats don t get their… … Useful english dictionary
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 — 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
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
soil one's hands with — get one s hands dirty, humiliate oneself … English contemporary 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
get — [get; ] also, although it is considered nonstandard by some [, git] vt. GOT, gotten, getting: see usage note at GOTTEN got, got [ME geten < ON geta, to get, beget, akin to OE gietan (see BEGET, FORGET), Ger gessen in vergessen, forget < IE… … English World dictionary
