dirty work

American  

noun

1. disagreeable, often tedious tasks.

2. any illegal or dishonest dealing.

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dirty work Idioms  

1. An unpleasant, distasteful, or thankless task or job. For example, Jane complained that she had to do all the dirty work while her colleagues took long vacations. [First half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

We just took off in our dirty work clothes and Wellington boots with our farm baskets on our heads.

From Literature

“Everybody wants somebody else to get the dirty work,” Cronin said.

From Los Angeles Times

Thanks to recent advancements, some recyclers are now employing machines to do this dirty work.

From The Wall Street Journal

They’re the guys that are doing a lot of dirty work that don’t really get the recognition, and I think a lot of Americans probably see themselves in that lens.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the movie’s frenetic opening stretch loosens into something shaggier when Steely Dan’s 1972 world-weary track “Dirty Work” comes in.

From Los Angeles Times