| 1. | cleaver (def. 2). |
| 2. | Informal. a drastic or ruthless procedure or approach, esp. for reducing or trimming something, as expenditures: The committee used a meat ax on the recreation budget. |
[meet-aks] 
| 1. | drastic or severe: meat-ax defense cuts. |
| 2. | favoring or advocating drastic reductions: a meat-ax approach to the budget. |