meat ax

¹ American  

noun

1. cleaver.

2. Informal. a drastic or ruthless procedure or approach, especially for reducing or trimming something, as expenditures.

   The committee used a meat ax on the recreation budget.

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meat-ax ² American  

[meet-aks] / ˈmitˌæks /

adjective

Informal.

1. drastic or severe.

   meat-ax defense cuts.

2. favoring or advocating drastic reductions.

   a meat-ax approach to the budget.

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Etymology

Origin of meat ax

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

The declaration hit Capitol Hill as yet another bolt from the gods — a surprise attack from a mercurial lawmaker who, to some colleagues, has randomly swung a meat ax at their policy agenda.

From Washington Post

Instead, Disney’s misconceived live-action remake of the studio’s 1992 animated classic offers the audience overstuffed musical-production numbers that look like they’ve been edited with a meat ax.

From Seattle Times

That separate agreement drives a stake into White House promises last year to take a meat ax to domestic agencies and eventually bring the budget back into the black.

From Washington Times

Or, better yet, take a meat ax to the entire federal government.

From Washington Times

But it is worth noting that the first person to take a meat ax to the Office of National Drug Control Policy was President Bill Clinton, who, in the first days of his administration, fired nearly 125 of the 146 people in the drug office, dealing it a blow from which it arguably never fully recovered.

From Washington Post