Meanings
adjectivedown and dirty (comparative more down and dirty, superlative most down and dirty)
comparative more down and dirty · superlative most down and dirty
- informalThoroughly involved; hands-on.
You also need to remember that it's rare to find someone in a C-suite or on a board who knows how to get down and dirty with IT, who knows the difference between a firewall and a fire exit.
2004 December, CSO, volume 3, number 12, page 53
Cite this entry
APA
down and dirty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20and%20dirty
MLA
“down and dirty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20and%20dirty. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “down and dirty,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20and%20dirty.
Source: down and dirty on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.