meat ax

¹

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.

meat-ax

²

[meet-aks]

adjective

Informal.

1. drastic or severe.

   meat-ax defense cuts.

2. favoring or advocating drastic reductions.

   a meat-ax approach to the budget.

Word History and Origins

Origin of meat ax¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

His history suggests, however, that given the go-ahead he will gleefully take a meat ax to the program.

From Salon

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

He’s like Willie Stark in “All the Kings’ Men” exhorting the mob that had marched on the capitol by torchlight to save him from impeachment to give him even more power: “Gimme that meat ax!”

From Fox News

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