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

• wet work masakim 02/28/03
  • Wet work ESC 03/02/03