fazer sujeira

You use it as a verb phrase. If you forget your best friend's birthday, you might say you 'made dirt.' If a coworker takes credit for your idea, they are 'making dirt.' It is very flexible. You can use it for small blunders or bigger moral failings. Just remember it usually focuses on the negative impact of the action.

• Use it when you admit a mistake to a friend.
• Use it when someone is being dishonest or sneaky.
• Use it when a plan goes completely wrong because of a bad choice.
• It works great in casual conversations or when venting about a situation.
• Texting a friend after you accidentally sent a risky text to the wrong group.

Avoid this in high-level corporate reports or legal documents. It is too colorful for a court of law. Don't use it if you are literally talking about cleaning your house. For actual dust, just use sujar. If you use fazer sujeira in a vacuum cleaner ad, people might think you are talking about corruption!

Brazilians value social harmony and 'jeitinho' (the little way). Fazer sujeira is the opposite of that harmony. It suggests a lack of transparency or care. Historically, it links back to the idea that a person's reputation should be 'clean.' To 'do dirt' is to tarnish that social standing. It’s a very common way to call out bad behavior without being overly clinical.

You might hear fazer uma sujeira (adding 'a' for a specific mess). Some people use pisar na bola (step on the ball) for a similar meaning of messing up. If the situation is really bad, they might say fazer uma porcaria. But fazer sujeira remains the classic way to describe 'dirty' or messy behavior.