hatchet job en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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A journalistic or other treatment which portrays its subject in a very unfavorable manner; a work of criticism which aims to destroy a reputation.
In smooth RP tones that belie his German parentage, he explains that none of his hachet jobs were written out of personal animosity.
2016 April 9, Philip Oltermann, “Michael Hofmann: ‘English is basically a trap. It’s almost a language for spies’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:Even the tabloid Bild, hardly known as a haven of art-house snobbery, published a hatchet job. “There are good literary adaptations and there are bad ones, and then there is All Quiet on the Western Front by director Edward Berger,” Bild’s critic wrote.
2023 January 27, Philip Oltermann, “German critics pan Oscar-nominated All Quiet On the Western Front”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:That article about the mayor is nothing more than a hatchet job.
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An action or a program which imposes deep reductions in expenditure.
This so-called reform of our wage agreement was really just one big hatchet job!
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hatchet jobs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Relateds
hatchet man · take an axe to · chopping block
Synonyms
calumniation · slam piece · defamation · traducement · obloquy · calumny · hit piece