hatchet man
noun
- 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)
Wiktionary
noun
- A male professional killer or gunman.
“The crime lord dispatched his favorite hatchet man to make sure the witness would not testify.”
- A male hatchet-wielding participant in a Chinese-American tong war.
- A male who carries out brutal and unpleasant duties on behalf of another, such as firing dead wood employees.
“After the layoffs, he gained a reputation as a hatchet man and ended up eating lunches alone.”