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| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| hatchet man | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a person carrying out unpleasant assignments for an employer or superior |
| 2. | (US), (Canadian) a hired murderer |
| 3. | a severe or malicious critic |
hatchet man
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.
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 , meaning "harsh destructive criticism." [Mid-1900s]