Cool MateGet your hands dirty vs Labour
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Get your hands dirty
InformalTop 2,000 (common)
Labour
Top 2,000 (common)B2noun
Most formal: Labour
| Get your hands dirty | Labour | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //ɡɛt jɔː hændz ˈdɜːti//🇺🇸 //ɡɛt jʊr hændz ˈdɜrti// | 🇬🇧 /["/ˈleɪbə(r)/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ˈleɪbər/"]/ |
| Meaning | To work hard, especially in practical tasks. | Physical work, especially hard work. |
| Example | Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty while learning to cook. | The workers organized a strike to demand better conditions and fair labour practices. |
| Register | Informal | Neutral |
| How common | Top 2,000 (common) | Top 2,000 (common) |
| CEFR level | - | B2 |
| Part of speech | noun | |
| Collocations | get your hands dirty, get your hands clean, hands-on experience, get involved, roll up your sleeves | manual, physical, back-breaking, withdraw, productivity, camp, manual, physical, back-breaking, withdraw, productivity, camp, free, organized, wage, force, market, pool, difficult, easy, long, go into, induce, room, ward, pains, in labour |
| Antonyms | - | leisure, idleness, inactivity |
| Common mistakes | Confused with 'get your hands clean' which has the opposite meaning., Used too formally, e.g., in business meetings., Omitting 'your' results in an ungrammatical phrase. | Confused with 'labor' (American English spelling)., Using 'labour' as a verb incorrectly., Overusing 'labour' in casual conversations; better to use 'work' instead. |
| Usage notes | Used in casual conversation to encourage involvement in physical work. Not suitable for formal contexts or professional settings. | Use 'labour' in contexts related to work, especially when discussing physical tasks or efforts. Avoid in casual settings without a clear reference to work. |
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Frequently asked questions: Get your hands dirty vs Labour
What's the difference between Get your hands dirty and Labour?
Get your hands dirty: To work hard, especially in practical tasks. Labour: Physical work, especially hard work.
Which is more formal: Get your hands dirty and Labour?
Labour is the most formal of these.
Can you show an example of each?
Get your hands dirty: Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty while learning to cook. Labour: The workers organized a strike to demand better conditions and fair labour practices.
Can I use Get your hands dirty and Labour interchangeably?
Not always. Get your hands dirty and Labour are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.