There’s nothing like being bespattered for making a man defy the gutter.

Understand the thought

Meaning in plain English

Once a person has already accepted a loss or stain, further exposure may feel less costly. That feeling can encourage an escalation whose real consequences still matter.

What the words are saying

The person is already splashed with dirt and therefore feels able to brave the gutter. Existing damage changes their attitude toward another muddy step: keeping clean no longer seems possible. The image can describe continuing a bad decision because some loss has already occurred. A useful pause asks what remains worth protecting and whether the next step would make matters worse. The earlier loss does not make every future cost irrelevant. It may still be possible to stop, repair part of the damage or choose a cleaner route from that point onward.

Everyday example

After overspending once, a traveller keeps the rest of the budget rather than deciding that every further purchase no longer matters.

When to use it

Use it to examine escalation after an initial setback.

Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.