Meaning of hatchet man | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A male professional killer or gunman.
2. A male hatchet-wielding participant in a Chinese-American tong war.
   US, historical
3. A male who carries out brutal and unpleasant duties on behalf of another, such as firing dead wood employees.
   colloquial, idiomatic

Equivalents

Examples

“The crime lord dispatched his favorite hatchet man to make sure the witness would not testify.”

“After the layoffs, he gained a reputation as a hatchet man and ended up eating lunches alone.”

CEFR level