Wet work
Posted by ESC on February 28, 2003
In Reply to: Wet work posted by TheFallen on February 28, 2003
: : In a recent article in the New York Times
this passage occurs: '... the Albanians ... did
: : wet work for the K.G.B.'
Does 'wet work' mean 'dirty work'? If so, why?
: It means more than dirty work. "Wet work" is spy slang (and allegedly CIA slang) for missions involving killing someone - also known as "sanctioning" someone. I imagine it's called "wet work" because it sometimes gets a bit messy.
Here's a source:
Wet Work: Western slang for intelligence operation involving murder or assassination. COVERT TERMINOLOGY www.geocities.com/ s75j88w68/covert_speak.html