hatchet woman
- noun
- /ˈhæʧɪt ˈwʊmən/
- Literature
:
mujer de mano dura
- Rumors spread quickly when the company hired a new hatchet woman known for drastic cuts.
Examples
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As a feared hatchet woman, she handled layoffs and tough negotiations without flinching.
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The CEO brought in a hatchet woman to restructure the failing department.
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The CEO hired a hatchet woman to handle the layoffs.
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Many consider her a ruthless hatchet woman.
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The CEO hired a hatchet woman to handle the challenging layoffs in the company.
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During the meeting, she was identified as the hatchet woman tasked with enforcing the new policies.
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In her role as a hatchet woman, she was responsible for delivering tough news to employees.
Synonyms
4
7.1
A person hired to do a difficult or unpleasant job other people avoid
2
8.5
A person hired to do unpleasant jobs like firing workers or ruining someone's reputation
1
8.9
A woman who helps a powerful person do wrong or illegal things
Antonyms
How Ruthless
- NSFW
27
7.2
- Literature
24
6.1
- Specialized
3
4.1
833
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
hatchet + woman
The noun 'woman' is transparent but 'hatchet' (a small axe) is used metaphorically here to signal cutting or ruthless action; a learner who knows both words might partially infer someone who carries out harsh tasks. The idiomatic occupational sense (equivalent to 'hatchet man') is a metaphorical extension and lexicalized usage rather than a strictly compositional meaning, so it is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The compound hatchet woman may come from the image of a woman holding a hatchet, a small axe used to cut things away quickly. So a hatchet woman is someone hired by a boss to make hard cuts or 'do the dirty work', which is why the phrase means 'a woman who carries out unpleasant or ruthless tasks'.