hired muscle
2
7.4
- noun
- NSFW
:
muscle contratado
- One is Pablo, who last we saw wielding a chainsaw in Milo's snuff film; the other is an ugly piece of hired muscle who we'll call Chet.
Examples
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In the back alleys of the city, hired muscle was commonly seen enforcing the dealer's rules.
-
- Well, I was there to hire muscle...
-
Yeah, we could run from hired muscle, but if Tommy finds out, we might as well keep running.
-
Lars was just a hired muscle.
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Your hired muscle is aging on you, Ralfi.
-
In a single day, we (and some friends and some hired muscle) loaded a 26-foot moving truck and a 12-foot trailer, then drove nine hours to Marietta, Georgia.
Blog text (5) -
The mob boss often used hired muscle to intimidate anyone who disagreed with him.
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After the incident, he hired muscle for protection against potential threats.
Synonyms
142
2.8
A person who goes with and protects an important person from danger
39
8.2
A person who is paid to use force or threats for someone else
A man hired to threaten or protect others
How Aggressive
- Offensive
244
4.9
- NSFW
27
7.2
- NSFW
2
7.4
3
6.0
210
1.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'hired' (paid/employed) with 'muscle' used metonymically for physical strength or a strong person, yielding 'people paid to provide physical force or protection'. This compositional/metaphorical mapping is straightforward and commonly paralleled in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would very likely infer the overall meaning.
Etymology
Hired muscle comes from the simple picture of strong people: hired means 'paid' and muscle suggests someone big and strong who is used for heavy work. That's why it means 'people who are paid to provide physical protection or intimidation'.