dirty work at the crossroads

Definitions

C19 ^th British expression for:

1. Underhanded activities.

2. Minor intimacies, such as canoodling, petting, hugging, exploring, kissing.

3. Sexual intercourse, based on dirty work (or dirty thing) meaning sex and crossroads, the 'Y' shape of the genital area. See copulation for synonyms.

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(Expression) Highwaymen (brigands) would wait at the crossroads, often not properly marked, and when the carriage or horsemen stopped to determine the correct path, would descend on the victims and rob them. Thus, "dirty work at the crossroads" has a real origin that has nothing to do with the "Y" shape.