dirt (redirected from dragging the name of through the dirt)

*common as an old shoe and *common as dirt

low class; uncouth. (*Also: as ~.) That ill-mannered girl is just as common as an old shoe. Despite Mamie's efforts to appear to be upper class, most folks considered her common as dirt.

See also: common, old, shoe

curly dirt and house moss; slut's wool

puffs of dirt and dust. How long has it been since you swept under this bed? There's a mountain of curly dirt under here! No one's been in this room for an age. Look at all the cobwebs and curly dirt. She was a terrible housekeeper. House moss collected in all the corners of her rooms.

See also: curly

dig some dirt up (on someone)

Fig. to find out something bad about someone. If you don't stop trying to dig some dirt up on me, I'll get a lawyer and sue you. The citizens' group dug up some dirt on the mayor and used it against her at election time.

See also: dig, some, up

dirt cheap

extremely cheap. Buy some more of those plums. They're dirt cheap, In Italy, the peaches are dirt cheap.

See also: cheap

dish the dirt

Sl. to spread gossip; to gossip. Let's sit down, have a drink, and dish the dirt. David goes down to the tavern to dish the dirt.

See also: dish

do someone dirt(y)

Rur. to do something bad or dishonest to someone. He sure did his wife dirty, leaving her like that. She did me dirt when we divided up the things mother left us.

hit pay dirt 

1. Fig. to discover something of value. (Alludes to discovering valuable ore.) Sally tried a number of different jobs until she hit pay dirt. I tried to borrow money from a lot of different people. They all said no. Then when I went to the bank, I hit pay dirt.

2. Fig. to get great riches. After years of poverty, the writer hit pay dirt with his third novel. Jane's doing well. She really hit pay dirt with her new business.

See also: hit, pay

hit the deck 

1. Fig. to fall down; to drop down to the floor or ground. Hit the deck. Don't let them see you. I hit the deck the minute I heard the shots.

2. Fig. to get out of bed. Come on, hit the deck! It's morning. Hit the deck! Time to rise and shine!

See also: deck, hit

rub someone's nose in it

Fig. to remind one of something one has done wrong; to remind one of something bad or unfortunate that has happened. (Alludes to a method of housebreaking pets.) When Bob failed his exam, his brother rubbed his nose in it. Mary knows she shouldn't have broken off her engagement. Don't rub her nose in it.

See also: nose, rub

take a dirt nap

Sl. to die and be buried. I don't want to end up taking a dirt nap during this operation. Isn't Tom a little young to take a dirt nap?

See also: nap, take

Throw dirt enough, and some will stick.

Prov. If you persistently say bad things about someone, people will begin to believe your accusations, even if they are not true. (Sometimes mud is used instead of dirt.) One of the candidates in the election kept accusing the other one of having cheated on his income tax, and eventually the voters believed it. As they say, throw dirt enough, and some will stick.

See also: and, some, stick, throw

You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.

Prov. No one can escape eating a certain amount of dirt on his or her food.; Everyone must endure a number of unpleasant things in his or her lifetime. (Often said to console someone who has eaten some dirt or had to endure something unpleasant.) Ellen: Oh, no! I forgot to wash this apple before I took a bite out of it. Fred: You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.

See also: before, die, eat, have, peck

---

dig the dirt  also dig up dirt

to try to find out bad things about someone in order to stop other people admiring them (often + on ) No effort is being spared to dig up dirt on the enemy.

See also: dig

dirt cheap  (informal)

extremely cheap This may seem like a great deal of money but in advertising terms it is dirt cheap.

See also: cheap

dirt-poor  (informal)

extremely poor Most of the population in this undeveloped area were dirt-poor and jobless.

dish the dirt  (informal)

to tell people unpleasant or shocking personal information about someone (often + on ) Shauna agreed to dish the dirt on her millionaire ex-lover for a fee of £5,000. Some journalists just enjoy dishing the dirt.

See also: dish

do somebody dirt  (American informal)

to behave unfairly or badly towards someone, often without them knowing Mack really did me dirt - he stopped me from getting my promotion.

See dig the dirt, dish the dirt, treat like dirt, hit the deck

hit the deck/dirt  (American & Australian informal)

to fall to the ground, or to quickly lie on the ground, especially to avoid danger The shooting started, and I heard someone shout 'Hit the deck!'

See also: deck, hit

hit/strike pay dirt  (American & Australian)

to achieve or discover something important or valuable She finally hit pay dirt with her third novel which quickly became a best seller.

See also: hit, pay

rub somebody's nose in it  (informal) also rub somebody's nose in the dirt (informal)

to say or do something which makes someone remember that they have failed I didn't tell him I'd started another relationship. I didn't want to rub his nose in it.

See also: nose, rub

treat somebody like dirt

to behave badly towards someone in a way that shows that you do not respect them I don't know why she stays with him. He treats her like dirt.

See also: like, treat

---

dig up (some) dirt (on somebody)

to look for and find unpleasant or embarrassing information about someone They tried to dig up some dirt on their political enemies.

Etymology: based on the slang meaning of dirt (negative information about a person)

See also: dig, up

dish the dirt (on somebody/something)

to talk about other people without worrying about being truthful E-mail us and dish the dirt on anyone – husbands, kids, whoever. Did you know that now astronauts can dish the dirt from space?

Related vocabulary: dish out something

Etymology: based on the phrase dish out food (to serve food ) and dirt (negative information about a person)

See also: dish

hit pay dirt also strike pay dirt

to succeed He hit pay dirt with his next movie, which grossed $270 million worldwide.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of pay dirt (dirt that contains valuable metals)

See also: hit, pay

hit the deck

to fall to the ground suddenly to avoid danger hit the dirt At the sound of gunfire, we all hit the deck.

See also: deck, hit

hit the dirt

to fall to the ground suddenly to avoid danger hit the deck The kid next door threw a rock at him, but Ted hit the dirt and the rock didn't hit him.

See also: hit

treat somebody like dirt

to deal with someone in a manner that shows no respect for them If you treat your customers like dirt, they won't come back to your shop.

See also: like, treat