Wet work
Encyclopedia
Wetwork or wet work is a euphemism
for murder
or assassination
, alluding to spilling blood. The expression "wet work", as well as the similar "wet job", "wet affair" or "wet operation", are all calques of the euphemism used by the KGB
for such activities, mokroye delo (wet job). These operations are reputed to have been handled at the KGB by Spetsbureau 13, colorfully known as the "Department of wet affairs" (Otdel mokrykh del).
The Russian expression "wet job" (мокрое дело) can be traced to at least the 19th century from Russian criminal slang (fenya
, muzyka) and originally meant robbery
that involved murder, i.e., spilling blood.
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
for murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
or assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
, alluding to spilling blood. The expression "wet work", as well as the similar "wet job", "wet affair" or "wet operation", are all calques of the euphemism used by the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
for such activities, mokroye delo (wet job). These operations are reputed to have been handled at the KGB by Spetsbureau 13, colorfully known as the "Department of wet affairs" (Otdel mokrykh del).
The Russian expression "wet job" (мокрое дело) can be traced to at least the 19th century from Russian criminal slang (fenya
Fenya
Fenya or fenka is a Russian cant language used among criminals. Originally it was a cryptolanguage of ofenyas or ofenes, old Russian peddlers, and had a number of names. There are no convincing explanations about the origins of the words "ofenya" and "fenya"...
, muzyka) and originally meant robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
that involved murder, i.e., spilling blood.