| 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 n. Slang
|
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]
