dirty

comparative dirtier · superlative dirtiest · alternative Northumbria dorty

1. Unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime.

   Despite a walk in the rain, my shoes weren't too dirty.

   1 more example

   Many persons are more comfortable when they are dirty than when they are clean; but that does not recommend dirt as a national policy.

   1905, George Bernard Shaw, The author's apology from Mrs. Warren's Profession, page 61

   Synonyms: filthy, soiled, sordid, unclean, unwashed, black, befouled, besmirched · Antonyms: clean, clean, clean as a bean, clean as a hound's tooth, clean as a new penny, clean as a new pin, clean as a whistle, immaculate

2. That makes one unclean; corrupting, infecting.

   Don't put that in your mouth, dear. It's dirty.

3. Morally unclean; obscene or indecent, especially sexually.

   At the reception, Uncle Nick got drunk and told dirty jokes to the bridesmaids.

   2 more examples

   He sets up little cameras 'cause he likes to watch her pee / He likes to watch her pee, he's trembling with glee / He sets up little cameras 'cause he likes to watch her pee / What a dirty little bastard he can be

   2016 June 3, “Mr. Wright”, in Monolith of Phobos, performed by The Claypool Lennon Delirium

   We have quite a playful and fun relationship in general, but it’s still surprising how dirty our sex can be in the things we say or do or pretend. We often laugh about it afterwards.

   2023 May 13, Kitty Drake, “This is how we do it: ‘A tired, throwaway midweek shag doesn’t interest me’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   Synonyms: indecent, lewd, obscene, raunchy, salacious

4. Dishonorable; violating accepted standards or rules.

   He might have scored, but it was a dirty trick that won him the penalty.

   2 more examples

   The world 'as got me snouted jist a treat; Crool Forchin's dirty left 'as smote me soul.

   1915, C.J. Dennis, The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke, published 1916, page 13

   The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable.[…]Partly, this is a result of how online advertising has traditionally worked: advertisers pay for clicks, and a click is a click, however it's obtained.

   2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 27

   Synonyms: cheating, foul, unsporting, unsportsmanlike · Antonyms: sportsmanlike

5. Corrupt, illegal, or improper.

   I won't accept your dirty money!

   Synonyms: base, dishonest, dishonorable, filthy, despicable, lousy, mean, sordid

6. Out of tune.

   You need to tune that guitar: the G string sounds dirty.

7. Of color, discolored by impurities.

   The old flag was a dirty white.

   Synonyms: dingy, dullish, muddied, muddy · Antonyms: bright, pure

8. computingContaining data needing to be written back to memory or disk.

   Occasionally it reads the sector into a dirty buffer, which means it needs to sync the dirty buffer first.

   1 more example

   Notice that an asterisk has been added to the filename in the edit window tabs. This is a simple reminder that the file is “dirty” and needs saving.

   2008, Stephen R. G. Fraser, Real World ASP.NET: Building a Content Management System, page 105

9. slangCarrying illegal drugs among one's possessions or inside of one's bloodstream.

   None of y'all get into my car if you're dirty.

10. informalUsed as an intensifier, especially in conjunction with "great".

    He lives in a dirty great mansion.

11. Sleety; gusty; stormy.

    dirty weather

    2 more examples

    Storms of wind, clouds of dust, an angry, dirty sea.

    1867, Matthew Arnold, On the Study of Celtic Literature

    Rain type 17 was a dirty blatter battering against his windscreen so hard that it didn't make much odds whether he had his wipers on or off.

    1984, Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), page 8

12. slangOf an alcoholic beverage, especially a cocktail or mixed drink: served with the juice of olives.

    dirty martini

    Antonyms: neat

13. Of food, indulgent in an unhealthy way.

    You can call it quick-and-dirty if you like, but there are billions of dollars out there riding on the supposition that fast food is not necessarily dirty food.

    2003, Tom Christiansen, Nathan Torkington, Perl Cookbook, page xix

    1 more example

    Dirty keto refers to an approach that follows the typical keto macro ratios, but the components include “dirty” foods like fast food, packaged convenience foods, processed meats, artificially sweetened diet sodas and sports drinks, and unhealthy […]

    2020, Mellissa Sevigny, Squeaky Clean Keto: Next Level Keto to Hack Your Health, Victory Belt Publishing, →ISBN, page 13

14. Of food, covered in an array of indulgent toppings.

    Lardo in Portland, Oregon, serves "dirty fries" topped with fried rosemary, peppers, lardons, and Parmesan.

    2016, Blake Lingle, Fries!: An Illustrated Guide to the World's Favorite Food, page 74

    1 more example

    Piled high and oozing all the trimmings, the dirty burgers here are decidedly good – spice things up with jalapeños, brie or a seriously sticky BBQ sauce.

    2019, Oliver Berry, Fionn Davenport, Lonely Planet England

15. Spreading harmful radiation over a wide area.

    a dirty bomb

    1 more example

    a dirty explosion

16. aeronauticsHaving the undercarriage or flaps in the down position.

    Antonyms: clean

17. Of an audio recording: containing unwanted noise.
18. cellular automataProducing much ash.
19. broadcastingContaining something out of focus in the foreground, so as to frame the main subject.

comparative more dirty · superlative most dirty · alternative Northumbria dorty

1. In a dirty manner.

   to play dirty

   Synonyms: deceptively, dirtily, indecently, underhandedly

present singular third person dirties · participle present dirtying · participle past dirtied · past dirtied · alternative Northumbria dorty

1. transitiveTo make (something) dirty.

   Synonyms: soil, taint, sully

2. transitiveTo stain or tarnish (somebody) with dishonor.

   Synonyms: dishonour, slander, sully, assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, befoul

3. transitiveTo debase by distorting the real nature of (something).

   Synonyms: avile, degrade, devalue, abase, avile, debase, debauch, degrade

4. intransitiveTo become soiled; to soil or defecate on.

   When the blackberries begin to decay, and the seeds to appear, the children are told not to eat them any longer, as the Pooka has dirtied on them.

   1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 371

   1 more example

   The markers for the slow line signals have been arranged at cab level, but for the inner fast lines they have had to be kept low in the "six-foot", with the result that they tend to be badly dirtied by passing traffic.

   1960 March, “Talking of Trains: S.R. signalling innovation”, in Trains Illustrated, page 135

   Synonyms: defile, dirten, muddy, sully

plural dirties · alternative Northumbria dorty

1. Anything that is dirty.

   Dirty eggs are grouped roughly in three classes: (A) Plain dirties, those to which soil or dung adheres; […]

   2022, Milo Hastings, The Dollar Hen

   1 more example

   I had to get started on the trays. […] I started emptying it from the bottom, putting the dirties in the water. Then I could put the clean ones in the empty spaces to dry while I pulled more dirties from the next shelf up.

   2011, P. S. Wright, Braji