Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
down-and-dirty [doun-uh n-dur-tee] Word Origin adjective Informal.
- unscrupulous; nasty: a down-and-dirty election campaign.
- earthy; funky.
Origin of down-and-dirty First recorded in 1985–90 British Dictionary definitions for down and dirty down and dirty adjective (down-and-dirty when prenominal) informal, mainly US
- ruthlessly competitive or underhandif Bush gets down and dirty the Governor will give as good as he gets
- uninhibited; frank
Idioms and Phrases with down and dirty down and dirty 1
Vicious, not governed by rules of decency, as in The candidates are getting down and dirty early in the campaign. [Slang; early 1980s]
2
Very earthy, uninhibitedly sexual. For example, “L.A. club people rarely get down and dirty on a dance floor” (The New Yorker, May 21, 1990). [Late 1980s]