get one's hands dirty

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get one's hands dirty (third-person singular simple present gets one's hands dirty, present participle getting one's hands dirty, simple past got one's hands dirty, past participle (UK) got one's hands dirty or (US) gotten one's hands dirty)

1. (idiomatic) To get involved with the unpleasant parts, or the lowest levels, of a task.

• dirty-handed

• dirty work