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

Instead, it’s better to humor him by pursuing it and letting some element of the legal system—a judge, a grand jury—do the dirty work of keeping the rule of law at least somewhat intact.

From Slate • Feb. 14, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Cybersecurity experts are warning that artificial intelligence agents, widely considered the next frontier in the generative AI revolution, could wind up getting hijacked and doing the dirty work for hackers.

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025

He was more than willing to do the dirty work when required.

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025

They were at least two inches long, which was his way of showing that he didn’t have to use his hands for rough or dirty work.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz