Say someone has a dirty kitchen, they fry food there with the windows shut and the oil from the food they fry stick to the windows. Now say you walk into this kitchen and you look at the windows.
How would you describe what you saw? The windows were greasy and dirty?
Idioms are also welcomed.
(I have a hard time explaining things and describing situations sometimes, so whenever my mind blanks out and I feel difficulty explaining an issue I come on here and I try to figure out ways to say it better next time.)
Best Answer
There are many ways to describe this, but one of the more literal options is grimy, or covered in grime:
Grime is not just dirt -- it's dirt (or some other filth) that, over time, has literally or figuratively coated some surface. Something grimy will generally evoke disgust, or at least revulsion at the thought of touching that surface.
If the windows are covered with ash, as if from a smoke-producing stove or fireplace, then you could alternately call the windows sooty, or covered in soot: