A phrase that covers a lot of ground depending on tone and context. In its everyday sense, dirty business refers to underhanded, unethical, or morally compromised dealings — the kind of shady conduct that makes people uncomfortable. In more explicit slang use, it's a euphemism for anal sex. The beauty of the phrase is how cleanly it inhabits both registers, letting speakers be deliberately ambiguous. Which meaning is intended usually becomes clear quickly from context and the company you're keeping.
He admitted it was dirty business, but claimed everyone in the industry operated the same way.
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the practice of unethical methods.
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(slang) anal sex.
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Add your own interpretation of "dirty business".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.