hatchet man

noun

Compounds

Combines

Forms

singular : hatchet man
plural : hatchet men

Senses

an operative in charge of doing political dirty work--or dirty tricks--both during a campaign and sometimes as part of normal government functions
one hired for murder, coercion, or attack
a writer specializing in invective
a person hired to perform underhanded or unscrupulous tasks (as to ruin someone's reputation)