Let's explore the definition of this idiom. What the heck does get your hands dirty mean? We're about to find out. First, there is a literal meaning this is what the words mean by themselves. So get your hands dirty means probably what you were thinking to get your hands dirty. So imagine like in the pictures here, someone has been working outside or grabbing dirt or touching something that's dirty, they got their hands dirty.

So that's the literal meaning that's what the words of the idiom mean. However, of course, there is a figurative meaning. And this idiom is a little bit unique because it has two figurative meanings. You see down here I put number one. This is going to be the first definition of the idiom, and in a moment we'll go to number two. So the figurative meaning Is the hidden meaning the meaning that's not obvious, but it's understood because native English speakers use it all the time.

Okay, so the first meaning of get your hands dirty is to help out to get involved. For example, if the boss maybe in this picture, the boss is the guy without the reflective vest. So this guy over here, he got his hands dirty by going and helping out the employee by doing the work which not as necessarily his job, but he decided to help out. Over here in this picture, we have five people and they're looking at a laptop. Let's just say for example, that the guy in the middle, that's the boss, he decided to get his hands dirty, and help his employees out and show them something about the presentation, or about the financial statistics or something. The boss decided to get involved.

He decided to maybe do do some of the work that the regular employees have to do. It might not be his responsibility, but he decided to get his hands dirty he decided to help out. So that is the first meaning of get your hands dirty. There is a second meaning a second hidden meaning for get your hands dirty. Perhaps you've heard of this one before. Here we go.

To get your hands dirty. The second meaning is to do something illegal. You're breaking the law, you're committing a crime. Like over here, this guy has a gun in his back pocket. It's a pretty safe guess to say he's not going to do something that the police or the government would like. These guys in the middle.

They look kind of dark, maybe a little bit angry and aggressive. They may have some plans to get their hands dirty. Do something illegal, something that is not right. Maybe this guy on the left, he's part of the Chinese mafia, and they're gonna rob someone or extort someone which means to take money from them by forcing them to give money. Okay, so that is the second meaning of get your hands dirty, it's to do something illegal. Now let's explore some similar and opposite expressions to get your hands dirty.

And over here you can see this picture where the hands are all holding each other. We're going to first review the first definition. So all of these expressions and the opposite and similar expressions will have a similar or opposite meaning to get your hands dirty, the first meaning, so I will say each one and I need you to repeat after me, here we go. Be willing to Work with subordinates do dull and regular work, get involved with work or a project. All of these expressions are green, and just like above is green. So they're similar.

They mean almost the same thing with different words. The word subordinate means someone who works below you or works for you. So the boss would be up here and the subordinates would be down here. The subordinates are his employees or her employees. So, if the boss is willing to work with the subordinates, he's really willing to do things that necessarily aren't What he's supposed to be doing all the time, or they're not his job responsibilities, but he wants to help out. So he or she decides to get their hands dirty and help the employees.

The word dough is just another word that means boring, not exciting. So often there's work at that needs to be done that is dull, it's not exciting. And usually the boss doesn't have to do it. But if the boss sees the employees and the employees are really overloaded with work, the boss might say, might think that, you know, I'll get my hands dirty, I'll help out. I'll do the dull and regular work, which is not exciting, but I want to get involved and help out. Get involved means to take action to do something.

So if the boss wants to get his hands dirty, or even if another employee who's in maybe a different section who has different responses abilities, they want to help someone out and want to get their hands dirty. So they get involved and they help them out with work, or maybe a project. All right, let's do the opposite. We'll do some expressions with the opposite meaning to get your hands dirty, repeat after me. refused to assist lower level workers do specialized work. Avoid working on other tasks.

So once again, in red over here, these are all expressions which are the opposite in meaning to get your hands dirty. So if get your hands dirty means to do something to get involved. The opposite is not wanting to get involved. Not wanting to help out. So refuse, which means to basically say no or deny or not do something, refuse to assist lower level workers. In other words, you're refusing to assist your subordinates.

You don't want to help them out. You only want to do your job responsibilities. And that's it. So maybe the boss just stays in his office all day long and only does what the boss is supposed to do and doesn't help the employees when they need it. Doing specialized work is the opposite of getting your hands dirty, because oftentimes, getting your hands dirty is doing dough and regular work, which is necessary. It's important, but it's not very exciting or specialized.

So specialized work is very unique. It takes a lot of skills and it's very special. It's very specialized. Also, avoid working on other tasks. So avoid means to not do to do other things. So you don't have to do that.

Tasks could be project, work that needs to be done or a list of things that the employees need to do. So if you avoid working on other tasks, you don't do anything that's outside your job responsibilities, your job description, you only do what's on your list of things to do. You don't help other people out. So that was the first definition. There's a second definition as well. All right, here we go.

And once again, the second definition has to do with criminal activity, doing things that are illegal. Repeat after me. Do something illegal or forbidden commit a crime, engage in unlawful behavior. So these expressions are similar to get your hands dirty. And specifically when we're talking about crimes, criminals, the mob mobsters, mafia, people doing things they probably shouldn't be doing and if the police knew those people would probably be locked up. So, forbidden means prohibited is something that you're not supposed to do.

Or there's a law that says do not steal or do not do that. Illegal is the opposite of legal legal means it's okay to do it and illegal means it's not okay. So if you get your hands dirty, if you go rob a bank, you could say you did something illegal And forbidden. committed crime is the same meaning as break the law. Get your hands dirty, engage in unlawful behavior. Engage is committing to do something, making a choice to carry out an action.

Unlawful is the opposite of lawful, lawful would be the same as legal and unlawful would be the same as illegal behavior is conduct actions, things that you're doing. So if you engage in unlawful behavior, guess what? You're getting your hands dirty. You're doing something illegal and forbidden. All right, let's move on to the opposites. Repeat after me.

Respect the laws and government be a law abiding Citizen be open, honest and aboveboard. So these are the opposites. In this section, you're not getting your hands dirty, you're doing things which are okay. And they're not prohibited and they're not forbidden. So if you respect the laws and government, then you probably won't have any problems with the police or the government. Respect means to honor to follow to not make problems.

Be a law abiding citizen is another way to say respect the laws and government laws or the rules that the society or the government or town or whoever they have, and abiding means to follow to respect to not make problems. Be open, honest and aboveboard. Open in this situation means like you're not trying to hide anything. You're not doing anything illegal, honest, would be means truthful. Not trying to make problems lying or doing things that you shouldn't be doing. aboveboard just means honest, nothing to hide, and it's out in the open.

The idea behind this phrase is that there is an idiom called under the table or below the table, were like two criminals. One's going to pay the other one. They don't want anybody to know. So they take the money and they stick it under the table, and they do their business below the table under the table. And this is above board. So a board would be like a piece of wood, maybe like the top of a table, and you do your business above the table because you don't have anything to hide.

It's honest, and you're not causing problems and it's you're not doing anything that's prohibited or forbidden. Okay. So these are similar and opposite expressions to the second meaning of get your hands dirty. All right, we just did the definition. Whoo wonderful.