hatchet job

noun

1. a maliciously destructive critique or act:

   The special committee has done a hatchet job on the new proposal.

hatchet job

noun

1. informal.
   a malicious or devastating verbal or written attack

Word History and Origins

Origin of hatchet job¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Idioms and Phrases

see hatchet man , def. 2.

Example Sentences

This is not a hatchet job, and it certainly could have been.

From The Daily Beast

A wonderful counterblast in The Times today to yesterday's extraordinary hatchet job on Cressida Bonas in the Mail.

From The Daily Beast

The hatchet job quickly went viral, with the twitterverse agreeing that it was terribly funny and horrendously mean.

From The Daily Beast