hatchet job

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hatchet job

n. Informal

A severe criticism or malicious verbal attack meant to ruin someone's reputation.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

hatchet job

informal a malicious or devastating verbal or written attack

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hatch′et job`

a maliciously destructive critique or verbal attack.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

hatchet job - a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions

calumniation, calumny, defamation, traducement, obloquy

depreciation - a communication that belittles somebody or something

assassination, blackwash, character assassination - an attack intended to ruin someone's reputation

malignment, smear, vilification - slanderous defamation

libel - a false and malicious publication printed for the purpose of defaming a living person

slander - words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another

name calling, names - verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument; "sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me"

epithet, name - a defamatory or abusive word or phrase

Translations

critica ostile stroncatura

hatchet job

n (fam) → stroncatura

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

References in periodicals archive ?

Former council leader John Dowson claims the council have made a "hatchet job" of the whole situation.

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The 56-year-old human resource executive who lives in Taman Kledang Sentosa, Menglembu here believes the hatchet job to be the work of loan sharks who got the wrong target.

Ipoh exec in fear after loan sharks mark wrong house, leave note threatening arson

Despite even veteran Tory commentator Peter Oborne calling it "an inaccurate hatchet job", they tagged the serialisation "UNFIT FOR OFFICE" and "Married to a Joyless Fanatic" with headlines like "40 years of plots, lies, intimidation and chaos" and warned this man must not be allowed to rule.

Better off reading between the lines

The numbers are the result of a hatchet job." Jaitley said when the CSO had revised upward the growth rate of 2012-13 and 2013-14, the then government had welcomed the decision.

Jaitley defends revised GDP numbers for UPA era

It makes it easier for the subject of the complaint to claim this is a political hatchet job. This is exactly how House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya tried to play down a complaint filed against him at the Ombudsman by Greco Belgica of the Truth and Justice Coalition.

Crackpots

'This is part of an ongoing hatchet job against me connected with my desire to run for the governorship of Camarines Sur,' Andaya said in a message to reporters on Tuesday.

Andaya says complaint on SALN merely a demolition job

"Don't believe the Sun or the Daily Mail stories today, it's a pure hatchet job in revenge for the leaked transcript of the dinner he had with [Theresa] May.

UN spokesman: Juncker was sober as a judge in Geneva (Update 2)

John Richards, 68, said: "It's as if they're trying to do a hatchet job on the claims from the very start.

Many denied PIP despite health issues

It's a good job he was rested for the game with Ireland or Roy Keane might have been tempted to come out of retirement for one last hatchet job.

GAUL POSTS EXTRA TIME FROM EURO 2016

The nation is already feeling frustrated enough about their football team without doing a hatchet job on an innocent scapegoat to stir the situation.

'Big wig'? No, a local lad turned into scapegoat

"Breaking up Network Rail is a hatchet job forced on NR by George Osborne, whose economic plan is to sell off Britain's rail infrastructure to the highest bidders."

Rail assets could be sold off to pay for upgrades

Milking his cash cow until its udders shrivel, Hong Kong king of kitsch Wong Jing delivers a hatchet job with "From Vegas to Macau II" a casino caper that fails to re-create the dynamic action and zany fun of the original hit.