This calls to mind a term in the Fukienese dialect pronounced "lasam" which expresses both physical dirtiness, such as garbage, and a metaphorical dirtiness, referring to ghosts.
講到這裡，我想起一件有趣的事情﹘ ﹘閩南語中的「骯髒」，發音為 LASAM，指兩種東西。一為有形的骯髒，如垃圾；一為無形的骯髒，就是指「鬼」。