dirt ball
- noun
- /dɜrt bɔl/
- Offensive
:
sinvergüenza
- He was considered a dirt ball for cheating his friends out of money.
When your name is all over the news, as somebody who's possibly doing very disgusting, dirty dirt ball kinds of things, it doesn't feel good.
- When your name is all over the news, as somebody who's possibly doing very disgusting, dirty dirt ball kinds of things, it doesn't feel good.
Examples
-
The scandal revealed that she was a dirt ball who exploited others for personal gain.
-
Many people in the community see him as a dirt ball because of his dishonest behavior.
-
When your name is all over the news, as somebody who's possibly doing very disgusting, dirty dirt ball kinds of things, it doesn't feel good.
-
When your name is all over the news, As somebody who's possibly doing very disgusting, dirty dirt ball kinds of things, it doesn't feel good.
Synonyms
132
8.5
A person who is sneaky and not worthy of respect
40
8.2
An unpleasant person who lies or treats others badly
23
9.1
A person treated as unimportant or disgusting
7
8.2
A person who is dishonest and treats others badly
6
8.4
An unpleasant person who treats others badly or lies to them
2
8.0
A person who behaves badly or cheats others
1
9.2
An insulting word for a person who is dishonest or behaves badly
1
9.0
An insulting name for a person thought to be very bad and not to be trusted
A rude word for a person who treats others badly
How Despicable
Surface Forms
Morphology
dirt + ball
The negative sense is partly inferable from 'dirt' (suggesting filth, gossip or moral uncleanliness), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents could guess the phrase refers to a 'dirty' or bad person. However, 'ball' adds no clear compositional meaning and the expression is a slangy, metaphorical extension whose precise evaluative force (immoral/undeserving of respect) is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Dirt ball may come from the simple image of a small lump of mud: dirt makes things filthy and a ball is a sticky clump, so the picture is of someone who is 'dirty' in character. That's why it now means 'an unpleasant or immoral person' who is 'undeserving of respect'.