dirt
Top
(dûrt) 
n.
n.
- Earth or soil.
- A filthy or soiling substance, such as mud or dust.
- Excrement.
- A squalid or filthy condition.
- One that is mean, contemptible, or vile.
- Obscene language or subject matter.
- Malicious or scandalous gossip.
- Information that embarrasses or accuses.
- Unethical behavior or practice; corruption.
- Material, such as gravel or slag, from which metal is extracted in mining.
[Middle English, variant of drit, excrement, filth, mud, from Old Norse.]
Roget's Thesaurus:
Top
dirt
Idioms beginning with dirt:
dirt cheap
dirty
dirty tricks
dirty work
In addition to the idiom beginning with dirt, also see dig up (dirt); dish the dirt; eat crow (dirt); hit the deck (dirt); pay dirt; treat like dirt. Also see under dirty.
Top
n
Definition: grime, impurity
Antonyms: cleanliness, pureness, purity, sterility
n
Definition: obscenity; immorality
Antonyms: morality
Word Tutor:
Top
dirt
IN BRIEF: n. - Any foul or filthy substance; The part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock.
The love of dirt is among the earliest of passions.
— Charles Dudley Warner, Source: My Summer in a Garden, 1870
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
The Dream Encyclopedia:
Top
Dirt/Dirty
Dirt is associated with farming, and therefore with fertility and growth. Something underneath the ground symbolizes the unconscious. Because of the social importance of cleanliness, "dirtiness" has acquired many different connotations, from guilt, to unworthiness ("dirty white trash"), to sexuality ("dirty minds").
Top
Random House Word Menu:
Top
categories related to 'dirt'
- Falsehood, Pretense, and Exaggeration - dirt: Informal. malicious gossip
See crossword solutions for the clue
Top
This article is about unclean matter. For other uses, see Dirt (disambiguation).
"Dirty" redirects here. For other uses, see Dirty (disambiguation).
Dirt is unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin or possessions when they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include:
- dust — a general powder of organic or mineral matter
- filth — foul matter such as excrement
- grime — a black, ingrained dust such as soot
- soil — the mix of clay, sand and humus which lies over the bedrock
|
Contents
|
Cleaning
When things are dirty they are usually cleaned with solutions like hard surface cleaner and other chemicals; much domestic activity is for this purpose — washing, sweeping and so forth.[1]
In a commercial setting, a dirty appearance will give a bad impression of a place such as a restaurant. The dirt in such cases may be classified as temporary, permanent and deliberate. Temporary dirt is streaks and detritus that may be removed by ordinary daily cleaning. Permanent dirt is ingrained stains or physical damage which require major renovation to remove. Deliberate dirt is that which results from design decisions such as decor in dirty yellow or grunge styling.[2]
Disposal
As cities developed, arrangements were made for the disposal of dirt. In Britain, the Public Health Act 1875 required households to place their refuse into a container which could be moved so that it could be carted away. This was the first legal creation of the dustbin.[3]
Foci
Computer keyboards are especially dirty as, on average, they contain 70 times more microbes than a lavatory seat.[4]
Health
Modern society is now thought to be excessively clean. Lack of contact with microorganisms in dirt when growing up is hypothesised to be the cause of the epidemic of allergies such as asthma.[5] The human immune system requires activation and exercise in order to function properly and exposure to dirt may achieve this.[6] For example, the presence of staphylococcus bacteria on the surface of the skin regulates the inflammation which results from injury.[7]
People and animals may eat dirt. This is thought to be caused by mineral deficiency and so the condition is commonly seen in pregnant women.
Neurosis
People may become obsessed by dirt and engage in fantasies and compulsive behaviour about it, such as making and eating mud pies.[8] The source of such thinking may be genetic, as the emotion of disgust is common and a location for it in the brain has been proposed.[9]
Exhibitions and studies
A season of artworks and exhibits on the theme of dirt was sponsored by the Wellcome Trust in 2011. The centrepiece was an exhibition at the Wellcome Collection showing pictures and histories of notable dirt such as the great dust heaps at Euston and King's Cross in the 19th century and the Fresh Kills landfill which was once the world's largest.[10]
References
- ^ Mindy Lewis (2009), Dirt: The Quirks, Habits, and Passions of Keeping House, ISBN 978-1-58005-261-0, http://books.google.com/?id=pSEDkuksOI8C
- ^ John B. Hutchings (2003), Expectations and the Food Industry, ISBN 978-0-306-47709-6, http://books.google.com/?id=2WuPh5C9QpQC&pg=PA115
- ^ V.K. Prabhakar (2000), Encyclopaedia of Environmental Pollution and Awareness in the 21st Century, p. 10, ISBN 978-81-261-0651-6
- ^ The joy of dirt, The Economist, Dec 17 2009, http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15108662
- ^ Dirt can be good for children, say scientists, BBC, 23 November 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8373690.stm
- ^ Mary Ruebush (2009), Why Dirt Is Good: 5 Ways to Make Germs Your Friends, ISBN 978-1-4277-9804-6, http://books.google.com/?id=R4qRXShukoYC
- ^ Lai, Y; Di Nardo, A; Nakatsuji, T; Leichtle, A; Yang, Y; Cogen, AL; Wu, ZR; Hooper, LV et al. (22 November 2009), "Commensal bacteria regulate Toll-like receptor 3–dependent inflammation after skin injury", Nature Medicine (Nature Medicine) 15 (12): 1377–82, doi:10.1038/nm.2062, PMC 2880863, PMID 19966777, http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.2062.html
- ^ Lawrence S. Kubie, "The Fantasy of Dirt", The Psychoanalytical Quarterly 6: 388–425, http://www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=paq.006.0388a
- ^ Valerie Curtis, Adam Biran (2001), "Dirt, Disgust, and Disease: Is Hygiene in Our Genes?", Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 44 (1): 17–31, doi:10.1353/pbm.2001.0001, PMID 11253302
- ^ Brian Dillon (Wednesday 23 March 2011), "Dirt: the Filthy Reality of Everyday Life, Welcome Collection", The Daily Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/8390859/Dirt-the-Filthy-Reality-of-Everyday-Life-Welcome-Collection.html
Further reading
- Terence McLaughlin (1971), Dirt: a social history as seen through the uses and abuses of dirt, Stein and Day, ISBN 978-0-8128-1412-5
- Pamela Janet Wood (2005), Dirt: filth and decay in a new world arcadia, Auckland University Press, ISBN 978-1-86940-348-5
- Ben Campkin, Rosie Cox (2007), Dirt: new geographies of cleanliness and contamination, I.B. Tauris, ISBN 978-1-84511-672-9
- Virginia Smith et al. (2011), Dirt: The Filthy Reality of Everyday Life, Profile Books Limited, ISBN 978-1-84668-479-1
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
Top
Dirt
Dansk (Danish)
n. - snavs, jord, grus, beskidt tale, ondsindet sladder, ekskrementer, dårlig situation, skidt, euforiserende stoffer
idioms:
- dig for dirt grave efter snavs
- dig up the dirt grave snavset op
- dirt cheap smadderbillig
- dirt farmer farmer der selv dyrker sin jord
- dirt track dirt-trackbane
- do someone dirt bagtale, tilsvine
Nederlands (Dutch)
vuil, grond, modder, schunnigheid, lasterpraat
Français (French)
n. - saleté, terre, boue, crasse, crotte, ordure, (fig) obscénité, ragots, cancans, calomnies, (Ind) impuretés, corps étrangers, encrassement (d'une machine)
idioms:
- dig the dirt dénicher (des ragots), déterrer (un scandale)
- dig up dirt dénicher (des ragots), déterrer (un scandale)
- dirt cheap donné, pour trois fois rien
- dirt farmer (US) petit fermier
- dirt track piste, (Sport) cendrée
- do someone dirt faire une vacherie à qn
Deutsch (German)
n. - Erde, Dreck, Schmutz
idioms:
- dig the dirt nach negativer Information suchen
- dig up dirt nach negativer Information suchen
- dirt cheap (ugs.) spottbillig
- dirt farmer Farmer, der selbst sein Land bestellt
- dirt track Aschenbahn
- do someone dirt den Ruf einer Person absichtlich schaden
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ακαθαρσία, βρομιά, χώμα, σκόνη, (μτφ.) αισχρολογία, βωμολοχία, (καθομ.) σκουπίδι, ένα τίποτα
idioms:
- dig for dirt κυνηγώ σκάνδαλα, σκανδαλοθηρώ
- dig up the dirt ξεθάβω σκάνδαλο
- dirt cheap (καθομ.) πάμφθηνος
- dirt farmer κτηματίας που καλλιεργεί μόνος το κτήμα του
- dirt track στίβος ανώμαλου δρόμου, πίστα ανώμαλου δρόμου μοτοσικλέτας
- do someone dirt ρίχνω, κάνω βρομοδουλειά σε
Italiano (Italian)
terra, fango, sporcizia, sconcezza
idioms:
- dig up/for/the dirt portare alla luce il marciume
- dirt cheap da quattro soldi
- dirt track strada in terra battuta
Português (Portuguese)
n. - sujeira (f)
idioms:
- dig up/for/the dirt desencavar a sujeira
- dirt cheap baratíssimo
- dirt farmer fazendeiro (m) que faz todo o serviço em sua propriedade
- dirt track pista (f) não asfaltada (para corridas)
Русский (Russian)
грязь, непристойность
idioms:
- dig up/for/the dirt рыться найти скандал
- dirt cheap дешевле не бывает
- dirt farmer фермер без наемных рабочих
- dirt track грунтовая дорога
Español (Spanish)
n. - tierra, barro, lodo, suciedad, mugre, indecencia, inmundicia
idioms:
- dig the dirt buscar defectos, sacar los trapitos al sol
- dig up dirt buscar defectos, sacar los trapitos al sol
- dirt cheap baratísimo, tirado, regalado
- dirt farmer campesino quien trabaja la tierra
- dirt track pista de ripio, pista de polvo de ladrillo
- do someone dirt dañar la reputación de alguien de modo malicioso
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
污垢, 泥土
idioms:
- dig for dirt 挖人隐私
- dig up the dirt 挖人隐私
- dirt cheap 非常便宜的
- dirt farmer 自耕农
- dirt track 泥土跑道
- do someone dirt 用卑劣的手段中伤某人, 恶意中伤某人
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 污垢, 泥土
idioms:
- dig for dirt 挖人隱私
- dig up the dirt 挖人隱私
- dirt cheap 非常便宜的
- dirt farmer 自耕農
- dirt track 泥土跑道
- do someone dirt 用卑劣的手段中傷某人, 惡意中傷某人
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 오물, 비굴, 험담, 가치 없는 것
idioms:
- do someone dirt 남을 골탕먹이다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 汚れ, 汚物, ほこり, 泥, 土, 悪口, わいせつな文章, 卑わいなことば
idioms:
- dirt cheap ばか安い
- dirt farmer 自作農
- dirt track ダートトラック
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) إي مادة غير نظيفه مثل الغبار أو الوحل مثلا, وسخ, تراب أو رمل, كلام بذيء, براز
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - לכלוך, עפר, ניבול פה
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Word Tutor
Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
The Dream Encyclopedia
The Dreams Encyclopedia. 1995 ©Visible Ink Press (VisibleInkPress.com). All rights reserved.
Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang
Oxford University Press. © 1997, 2008, 2010
All rights reserved.
Read more
Random House Word Menu
© 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier.
Write Brothers Inc.
All rights reserved.
Read more
Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary
Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008
HarperCollins Publishers
All rights reserved.
Read more
Wikipedia on Answers.com
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Dirt.
Read more
