hatchet man
hatchet man — 名詞
1. A person brought into a company or group to make harsh changes that others do no
裁員打手
公司派來裁員或推動痛苦改革的人
A person brought into a company or group to make harsh changes that others do not want to carry out, especially firing staff or cutting costs.
Dewi became the hatchet man, sent to close the Osaka branch and fire its staff.
Dewi 成了裁員打手，被派去關閉大阪分公司並解僱所有員工。
corporate role: sent to close a branch and dismiss employees
The board brought in a hatchet man to fire half the sales team before the merger was finalised.
董事會在合併定案前找來裁員打手，解僱了一半的銷售團隊。
Mateo quit after two years as hatchet man, worn down by colleagues who refused to eat lunch with him.
Mateo 當了兩年裁員打手後辭職了，同事連午餐都不願跟他一起吃。
Renata dreaded being the hatchet man who had to fire Olu, the accountant who trained her.
Renata 害怕成為裁員打手，不得不解僱當初訓練她的會計師 Olu。
After the merger, Tomas became the hatchet man at the Jakarta office and cut forty jobs.
合併後，Tomas 成了雅加達辦公室的裁員打手，砍掉了四十個職位。
- peacemaker
someone who resolves conflict rather than imposing harsh changes
用法筆記
Subject is usually a company or organisation. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes institutional unpopularity and restructuring, not physical violence.
常見錯誤
2. A person who is paid to hurt, frighten, or kill someone on another person's orde
受僱殺手
受人僱用去恐嚇、攻擊或殺害他人的人
A person who is paid to hurt, frighten, or kill someone on another person's orders.
Vikram testified that the hatchet man had been paid to silence a key witness.
Vikram 作證說受僱殺手收了錢，要讓關鍵證人永遠閉嘴。
passive pattern: 'had been paid to' for hired violence
The gang sent a hatchet man to smash a baker's windows after the owner refused to pay protection.
幫派派了受僱殺手砸了麵包店的窗戶，因為老闆拒絕付保護費。
The hatchet man cornered Matthew outside the courthouse and warned that testifying would cost him his family.
受僱殺手在法院外堵住 Matthew，警告他作證會讓家人遭殃。
The hatchet man waited in the garage, a steel pipe hidden inside his coat.
受僱殺手在車庫裡等待，外套裡藏著一根鐵管。
Detective Soraya knew the murder was professional — the work of a practiced hatchet man.
Soraya 警探知道這起謀殺是專業的——出自一名老練的受僱殺手。
- hitman
more common term, focuses purely on killing rather than intimidation
- assassin
more formal; often implies a political or high-profile target
- contract killer
legalistic term that emphasises the paid nature of the killing
- bodyguard
hired to protect, not to harm
用法筆記
The original and most literal meaning of the term. The person targeted is always a specific individual or group marked for violence.
常見錯誤
3. A journalist or commentator known for writing pieces that attack people in a cru
惡評寫手
以尖刻文字攻擊他人聞名的記者或評論人
A journalist or commentator known for writing pieces that attack people in a cruel and deeply personal way.
Eliska was the paper's hatchet man, known for destroying a young playwright's career with a single savage review.
Eliska 是那家報社的惡評寫手，以一篇尖刻評論毀掉年輕劇作家的事業而聞名。
Wren wrote as the magazine's hatchet man, savaging the trade minister with gleeful attacks on his troubled marriage.
Wren 擔任雜誌的惡評寫手，興高采烈地攻擊貿易部長的婚姻問題。
journalistic context: hatchet man as columnist who writes vicious attacks
Camille was the Tribune's hatchet man, and her column on the mayor ended his twenty-year career overnight.
Camille 是《論壇報》的惡評寫手，她一篇關於市長的專欄在一夜之間終結了他二十年的政治生涯。
Roya made money as a hatchet man, though colleagues avoided her after her column drove a respected senator to resign.
Roya 當惡評寫手賺了不少錢，但自從她的專欄逼得一位受人敬重的參議員辭職後，同事都躲著她。
The editor kept a hatchet man on staff for pieces that mocked a politician's stutter or a minister's divorce.
編輯部留了一名惡評寫手，專門寫嘲笑政治人物口吃或部長離婚的文章。
- attack dog
same register; more common in political journalism
- polemicist
formal term for a writer who argues aggressively; lacks the personal cruelty of hatchet man
- character assassin
focuses specifically on destroying someone's reputation through writing
- puff-piece writer
a journalist who writes overly flattering profiles, the opposite approach
用法筆記
Almost always appears in journalism or publishing contexts. Distinguish from sense 1: the damage here is to reputation through words, not to livelihood through layoffs.
4. A person paid to do dishonest work in secret, such as spreading lies to destroy
抹黑打手
受僱暗中散布謠言、毀人名譽的人
A person paid to do dishonest work in secret, such as spreading lies to destroy someone's good name or career.
Mira discovered the hatchet man had been planting false stories about her with local reporters.
Mira 發現抹黑打手一直在向地方記者散布關於她的不實報導。
Senator Dahlia's hatchet man was caught leaking her opponent's rehab records to the press.
參議員 Dahlia 的抹黑打手被抓到向媒體洩漏對手的戒毒紀錄。
Emma hired a hatchet man to dig up damaging secrets about her business competitor.
Emma 僱了抹黑打手去挖出商業對手的破壞性祕密。
Senator Park's hatchet man spread a rumour about his opponent's tax records that dominated the final week of the campaign.
Park 參議員的抹黑打手散布了關於對手稅務紀錄的謠言，主導了競選最後一週的新聞。
Eve never knew who hired the hatchet man, but her reputation was destroyed within a month.
Eve 始終不知道誰僱了抹黑打手，但她的名聲在一個月內就毀了。
- smear merchant
specifically for destroying reputations; narrower than hatchet man
- dirty trickster
broader term; covers any underhanded tactic, not only hired work
- bagman
more about handling illicit money than spreading damaging information
- whistleblower
someone who exposes hidden wrongdoing rather than creating it
用法筆記
Common in political campaigns. The work is carried out secretly, unlike sense 1 where the role is typically known within the organisation.