Hatchet-man
noun
1.
a professional murderer.
2.
a writer or speaker who specializes in defamatory attacks, as on political candidates or public officials.
3.
a person whose job it is to execute unpleasant tasks for a superior, as dismissing employees.
noun (informal)
1.
a person carrying out unpleasant assignments for an employer or superior
2.
(US & Canadian) a hired murderer
3.
a severe or malicious critic
noun phrase
1.
A person assigned or hired to carry out a disagreeable task or unscrupulous order. For example, When it came to firing an employee, Arthur was his boss’s hatchet man. This expression originally referred to a hired assassin but in the mid-1900s was transferred to less nefarious enterprises.
2.
A person who attacks the reputation of others, especially a journalist hired to do so, as in You can count on Mary’s column to destroy the mayor—she’s the perfect hatchet man. This usage gave rise to hatchet job, meaning “harsh destructive criticism.” [ Mid-1900s ]
Read Also:
- Hatchettite
[hach-i-tahyt] /ˈhætʃ ɪˌtaɪt/ noun 1. a soft yellowish mineral wax, C 38 H 78 , darkening on exposure: found in bogs and coal beds.
- Hatchetwork
[hach-it-wurk] /ˈhætʃ ɪtˌwɜrk/ noun 1. destruction, damage, or paring done by or as if by a .
- Hatchie
[hach-ee] /ˈhætʃ i/ noun 1. a river in N Mississippi and W Tennessee, flowing NW to the Mississippi River. 180 miles (290 km) long.
- Hatching
[hach-ing] /ˈhætʃ ɪŋ/ noun 1. (def 2). [hach] /hætʃ/ verb (used with object) 1. to bring forth (young) from the egg. 2. to cause young to emerge from (the egg) as by brooding or incubating. 3. to bring forth or produce; devise; create; contrive; concoct: to hatch a scheme. verb (used without object) 4. to […]
- Hatchling
[hach-ling] /ˈhætʃ lɪŋ/ noun 1. a young bird, reptile, or fish recently emerged from an egg. /ˈhætʃlɪŋ/ noun 1. a young animal that has newly emerged from an egg n. 1854, from hatch (v.1) + diminutive suffix -ling.