wet work
noun
variants
or less commonly wetwork
1
: work involving water or wet substances
All wet work, such as concrete, masonry, plaster, drywall and paint must be complete and dry.—Daniel Boone, Floor Covering Installer, 1 May 2010
It is a frequent problem among individuals who perform "wet work" such as homemakers, bartenders, hairdressers, dental workers, and health care workers; repetitive wetting and drying of the hands leads to dryness and redness.—Deborah A. Kedrowski and Erin M. Warshaw, Dermatology Nursing, 1 Feb. 2008
2
: work involving murder or assassination
—used euphemistically
… the intelligence service became infamous as a subcontractor for the K.G.B. and earned a grim reputation for its particular expertise in "wet work," the assassination of enemies.—Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2013
… if you do wet work for the CIA … you probably don't want to drive to the job site in this huge, thinly veiled military vehicle.—Al Haas, Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 June 1998
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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