hatchet job

American  

noun

1. a maliciously destructive critique or act.

   The special committee has done a hatchet job on the new proposal.

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hatchet job British  

noun

1. informal a malicious or devastating verbal or written attack

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hatchet job Idioms  

1. see hatchet man, def. 2.

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Etymology

Origin of hatchet job

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

“I wasn’t going to do a hatchet job or a hit piece on Donald Trump. I wanted to understand who these people were,” he says.

From Washington Post • Jul. 13, 2022

Misunderstood masterpiece or lousy meal, a richly deserved excoriation or hatchet job, what is clear is that Mr. Pellegrino had unexpectedly emerged as the ultimate caricature of the self-obsessed haute cuisine chef.

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2021

It didn’t take much to convince Woody Allen defenders that HBO’s four-part docuseries, “Allen v. Farrow,” was a one-sided hatchet job against the revered filmmaker.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2021

Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn have described a new documentary series about the US actor and director as a "hatchet job riddled with falsehoods".

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2021

“I guess you saw that hatchet job in the paper,” I say.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood