泥臭い

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 泥臭い is read as どろくさい and means down-to-earth, persistent, or unpolished.
• Basic usage: It can modify unglamorous effort or describe patiently working through each site.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Persistent effort without glamour
  • 泥臭い努力 is effort whose persistence comes through despite lacking flashiness. Example: 派手さはないが泥臭い努力が伝わる作品だ。
• Working directly in the field
  • 泥臭く現場を回る means visiting sites personally and hearing opinions one by one. Example: 彼は泥臭く現場を回って一人ずつ意見を聞いた。