soil

Related to soil: soil profile, soil erosion, Soil formation

(someone's) native soil

The country or geographical area in which someone was born or raised. Though I've spent most of my adult life in London, it's always nice to return to my native soil of Shanghai, if even for just a few days.
See also: native, soil

dirty (one's) hands

1. To partake in especially underhanded, illicit, or illegal work or activities. The public can't be allowed to think that I, a senate hopeful, would ever dirty my hands with a tax-evasion scheme such as that.
2. To do hard work, often manual labor. There is nothing more rewarding to me than dirtying my hands in my garden.
See also: dirty, hand

get (one's) hands dirty

1. To do hard work, often manual labor. There is nothing more rewarding to me than getting my hands dirty in my garden. I really appreciate you guys getting your hands dirty and helping us move.
2. To be involved in something illegal or unseemly. Uncle Pete has been avoiding us ever since we discovered that he gets his hands dirty working for the mob. No one can know about my police record—I don't want people to think that I still get my hands dirty.
See also: dirty, get, hand

soil (one's) diaper(s)

To defecate into the diaper one is wearing. Primarily heard in US, Canada. Uh oh, I think Tommy just soiled his diaper. I'd better go change it. I just hope I don't live so long that I end up in some nursing home soiling my diapers.
See also: soil

soil (one's) hands

To partake in especially underhanded, illicit, or illegal work or activities. The public can't be allowed to think that I, a senate hopeful, would ever soil my hands with a tax-evasion scheme such as that.
See also: hand, soil

soil (one's) nappy

To defecate into the nappy (diaper) one is wearing. Primarily heard in UK. Uh oh, I think Tommy just soiled his nappy. I'd better go change it. I just hope I don't live so long that I end up in some nursing home soiling my nappy.
See also: soil

spade up

To dig up and turn over soil or some body of soil with or as with a spade. A noun or pronoun can be used between "spade" and "up." You'll want to spade up the flower bed and mix in some fresh compost before sowing the new seeds. The ground was so full of stones and weeds that spading the soil up was an absolute chore.
See also: spade, up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

get one's hands dirty and dirty one's hands; soil one's hands

 
1. Fig. to get closely involved in a difficult task. You have to get your hands dirty if you expect to get the gutters cleaned out.
2. Fig. to become involved with something illegal; to do a shameful thing; to do something that is beneath one. The mayor would never get his hands dirty by giving away political favors. I will not dirty my hands by breaking the law.
See also: and, dirty, get, hand, soil

soil one's diaper(s)

[for a baby] to excrete waste into its diaper. The baby soiled his diapers. I detect that someone has soiled his diaper.
See also: diaper, soil

spade something up

to turn over the soil in a garden plot with a spade. Please go out and spade the garden up so I can plant the potatoes and onions. I will spade up the garden when I have time.
See also: spade, up
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

dirty one's hands

Also, get one's hands dirty or soil one's hands. Do something shameful or illegal. For example, He refused to dirty his hands and give jobs to the big campaign donors, or Getting one's hands dirty by lying to the boss will be severely punished, or She would not soil her hands by cheating. This expression is a metaphor for literally defiling or soiling oneself. [Mid-1600s]
See also: dirty, hand
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • (someone's) native soil
  • native
  • (it's) nice to be here
  • (all) spiffed out
  • (it was) nice talking to you
  • we never miss the water till the well runs dry
  • we never miss the water until the well runs dry
  • you never miss the water till the well runs dry
  • you never miss the water until the well runs dry
  • buttoned-up
References in periodicals archive
Soil has been called "the skin of the earth" because it is the thin outermost layer of the earth's crust.
The Saline County Soil and Water Conservation District invites the public of all ages to join in the observance of spring natural resource celebrations; Earth Day, Arbor Day, Stewardship Week and others.
Saline County SWCD promotes Soil, Water Stewardship Week
While addressing the seminar, Dr Zahir Ahmed Zahir, eminent soil scientist from Institute of Soil and Environment Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad highlighted importance of soil in perspective of global food supply and said, 'Soil is the integral part of any food web.
He said that soil was a slowly-renewable resource and its productivity was continuously declining with the increase of population also resulting in loss of one-third of arable land.
Experts call for bringing up to 60pc soil under cultivation
The seminar was organized by the Institute of Soil Sciences, PMAS-AAUR in coordination with Soil Science Society of Pakistan with an aim to highlight the importance of soil.
Zahir Ahmed Zahir, eminent soil scientist from Institute of Soil and Environment Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad enlightened the importance of soil in perspective of global food supply.
Seminar on Role of Soil in Global Food Supply held at PMAS-AAUR
Kostecki (1999) reported that Na, K, Ca, Mg, S and Fe concentration was increased from 140 to 9200, 660 to 1800, 34800 to 49000, 4000 to 4500, 100 to 1600 and 3720 to 3824 ppm of soil heavily contaminated with crude oil.
To establish the differen e in the physicochemical characteristics between uncontaminated and petroleum waste contaminated soil samples.
Major elements distribution in the soil profile of petroleum contaminated soils
There are different studies of soil such as Soil Physics, Soil Chemistry, Soil Microorganisms, Soil Survey and Soil Fertility.
Why the study of soil?Soil is the only medium where you can grow crops, not to forget that we construct almost everything on it.
Soil science broken down by Nick Mati
Soil cover evidently plays a vital role in the biodiversity of areas (Tscharntke et al.
Evaluation of the pedodiversity, agronomical quality and environment protection ability of the soil cover of Estonian croplands
Historically, a model for soil texture obtained from relative amounts of sand, silt and clay was developed by Whitney (1911).
Modelling of soil texture and its verification with related soil properties
Mound soil, Fossorial rodent, Electrical conductivity, Ecological engineer.
Burrowing Activity of Rodents Alter Soil Properties: A Case Study on the Short Tailed Mole Rat (Nesokia indica) in Pothwar Plateau, Punjab, Pakistan