adj., adv., & v.
adj. (dirtier, dirtiest) 1 soiled, unclean. 2 causing one to become dirty (a dirty job). 3 sordid, lewd; morally illicit or questionable (dirty joke). 4 unpleasant, nasty. 5 dishonest, dishonourable, unfair (dirty play). 6 (of weather) rough, squally. 7 (of a colour) not pure or clear, dingy. 8 colloq. (of a nuclear weapon) producing considerable radioactive fallout.
adv. sl. (with adjectives expressing magnitude) very (a dirty great diamond).
v.tr. & intr. (-ies, -ied) make or become dirty. dirty dog colloq. a scoundrel; a despicable person. the dirty end of the stick colloq. the difficult or unpleasant part of an undertaking, situation, etc. dirty linen (or washing) colloq. intimate secrets, esp. of a scandalous nature. dirty look colloq. a look of disapproval, anger, or disgust. dirty money extra money paid to those who handle dirty materials. dirty trick 1 a dishonourable and deceitful act. 2 (in pl.) underhand political activity, esp. to discredit an opponent. dirty weekend colloq. a weekend spent clandestinely with a lover. dirty word 1 an offensive or indecent word. 2 a word for something which is disapproved of (profit is a dirty word). dirty work dishonourable or illegal activity, esp. done clandestinely. do the dirty on colloq. play a mean trick on. dirtily adv. dirtiness n.