hatchet man

American  

Or hatchetman

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.

---

hatchet man British  

noun

1. a person carrying out unpleasant assignments for an employer or superior

2. a hired murderer

3. a severe or malicious critic

---

hatchet man Idioms  

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]

---

Etymology

Origin of hatchet man

An Americanism dating back to 1745–55

Example Sentences

Ever the hatchet man, Harris would attempt to do the same to Gray’s left-wing colleague Terry Cooper in the second half but succeeded only in tearing right through his shorts.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2024

Pence didn’t play the usual vice-presidential roles of hatchet man and attack dog, largely because Trump amply filled those roles himself.

From Washington Post • Nov. 14, 2022

"You're just a hatchet man and that's what you are."

From Salon • Jul. 16, 2021

Bailey is the author of well-regarded biographies of John Cheever and Richard Yates, and he strikes me as neither a hatchet man nor a patsy.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2021

The fence said Dad had run him out, but I think the real reason was he had done his job for the steel company as the designated hatchet man.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam