goon squad
3
9.3
- noun
- /ɡuːn skwɒd/
- NSFW
:
grupo de matones
- The street was controlled by a goon squad known for their violent tactics.
He also went after and sent his goon squad to beat up people that disagreed with him.
- He also went after and sent his goon squad to beat up people that disagreed with him.
Examples
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The gang leader ordered his goon squad to intimidate the witnesses.
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He sees the last of the goon squad barging in through the front door.
Fiction book (1992) -
Our whole neighborhood saw him picked up by a goon squad.
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Even for a goon squad, that sounds silly.
Blog text (6) -
So, what's up with the goon squad?
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Why don't you just send your goon squad?
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He sent in the goon squad.
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Where's the rest of the goon squad?
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Unfortunately, Miles Gloriosus and his men fared badly against the Peronist goon squad.
Fiction book (2000) -
To enforce their authority, the company hired a goon squad to protect their interests.
Synonyms
832
2.8
A group of people who commit crimes together
6
8.4
A group of people hired to kill someone for political or criminal reasons
Antonyms
66
2.8
A group of people who meet regularly to give each other help and advice about a shared problem
How Violent
- Literature
14
8.0
553
5.8
- NSFW
3
9.3
832
2.8
67
3.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'goon' = thug and 'squad' = small unit, so 'goon squad' straightforwardly denotes a group of goons (hired thugs). This "group-of-X" noun-noun pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The noun goon squad comes from the image of a small team of hired tough men: goon meaning a hired thug and squad meaning a small group. They were pictured as being sent to beat or scare people, so the phrase now means 'a group of people who use force or threats'.