wet work

noun — 3 senses

wet work

noun

Etymology Calque of Russian мо́крое де́ло (mókroje délo).

1

Espionage, Government, Military, Politics, War Euphemistic A covert assassination performed by government operatives.

  • Joe: Victoria was the best wet work operator the Agency ever had. Woman 1: What does that mean? Victoria: I killed people, dearie.2010, RED:
2

Broadly Work within a gang or organization that involves killing or attacking people, for assassination or intimidation.

  • He had also done a lot of Louis Deems' wet work, especially when it came to intimidating juries.2009, Dana Stabenow, Whisper to the Blood, →ISBN, page 132:
Related terms
terminate with extreme prejudice, wet job

wet work

noun

Etymology wet + work

1

Cleaning tasks that involve scrubbing with cleansers.

  • Most of the time I clean with A.J. or another coworker, who vacuums while I do the wet work—bathrooms and kitchens.2011, Autumn Stephens, Roar Softly and Carry a Great Lipstick, →ISBN:
Related terms
wetworks, wet works

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.