hatchet man en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
A male professional killer or gunman.
The crime lord dispatched his favorite hatchet man to make sure the witness would not testify.
- (US, historical) A male hatchet-wielding participant in a Chinese-American tong war.
-
(colloquial, idiomatic) A male who carries out brutal and unpleasant duties on behalf of another, such as firing dead wood employees.
After the layoffs, he gained a reputation as a hatchet man and ended up eating lunches alone.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hatchet-man | alternative | lexicographic | |
| hatchet men | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| hatchetman | alternative | lexicographic |
Hypernyms
Relateds
chainsaw consultant · hatchet job
Synonyms
Translations (10)
pl kiler (professional killer) · es sicario (professional killer) · cmn 打手 (professional killer) · pl hatchet man (hatchet-wielding participant in a tong war) · fr porte-flingue (man who carries unpleasant duties on behalf of another) · zhx-tai 斧頭仔 /斧头仔 (hatchet-wielding participant in a tong war) · ru ки́ллер (professional killer) · it sicario (professional killer) · fr tueur à gages (professional killer) · pl chłopiec na posyłki (man who carries unpleasant duties on behalf of another)