getting one's hands dirty
Engaging directly yourself
Getting one's hands dirty means doing work that is difficult, unpleasant, or morally compromising—tasks that others might avoid or delegate.
The phrase often carries approval when it means engaging directly rather than staying aloof: She's not afraid to get her hands dirty on the factory floor.
But it can also suggest involvement in something shady or corrupt: The senator got his hands dirty with campaign finance violations.
- manual laborWork done bodily
- experimentationSystematic testing of ideas
- compromiseAgreement through mutual sacrifice
- resourcefulnessAbility to solve problems creatively
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
hands-on learning · learning by doing · gardening · construction · troubleshooting · in the trenches · nitty gritty · down and dirty · trial-and-error · accountability · welding · farming · grunt work · immersion · responsibility · masonry · perseverance · plumbing
getting one's hands dirtydelegating
Transferring authority to another
backseat driving · phoning it in · paper-pushing · desk work · rubber-stamping