dirty money
12
4.3
- noun
- /ˈdɜrti ˈmʌni/
- NSFW
:
dinero sucio
- It's dirty money.
- launder dirty money
- wash dirty money
- dirty money in politics
Does it tell you that it's bloody dirty money?
- Does it tell you that it's bloody dirty money?
- Shun, shun funneling makes it sound like dirty money.
Examples
-
"Dirty money and dirty tactics may have won this skirmish," Cummins said, "but they will not win the war."
Blog text (21) -
If your government didn't have my dirty money, your economy would collapse.
-
London had become the place where dirty money came to party.
-
I do not want your dirty money.
-
It's dirty money and it needs to be used for good.
-
Maybe he should take all his dirty money and go home.
Blog text (26) -
There's a river of dirty money running through this place.
-
It's hard to say, but there is so much dirty money in Dubai, tied up in all these building projects.
Blog text (14) -
There's a river of dirty money flowing through this place.
Fiction book (1994) -
Authorities are investigating a scheme involving millions in dirty money obtained from illegal activities.
Synonyms
180
7.7
Valuable things or money taken illegally, often during a raid
53
4.4
Things stolen from shops during chaos
4
9.4
Valuable things that thieves take
3
9.9
Money gained in a dishonest or unfair way
1
9.8
Money that people get by dishonest or wrong actions
Money gained in a dishonest or illegal way
How Dishonest
6
7.9
- NSFW
12
4.3
- Archaic
1
9.8
12
7.7
309
2.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'money obtained illegally or through dishonest means' is directly and transparently composed from 'dirty' (morally tainted/dishonest or illegally obtained) + 'money'. This contamination metaphor for ill-gotten funds is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would very likely infer the intended sense.
Etymology
Dirty money paints a clear picture: money is called dirty because people imagine it stained by crime or dishonest acts. That's why it means 'money or assets obtained illegally'.