Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
hatchet man \hatchet man\ n.
A person hired to murder or physically attack another; a hit man.
A person who deliberately tries to ruin the reputation of another, often unscrupulously, by slander or other malicious communication, often with a political motive, and sometimes for pay.
Wiktionary
n. 1 A professional killer. 2 (context colloquial idiomatic English) Someone who carries out brutal and unpleasant duties on behalf of another, such as firing dead wood employees.
WordNet
Wikipedia
In the context of the Watergate scandal, the term hatchet man was used to refer to a trusted and particularly orthodox subordinate tasked by his employer with destroying a political opponent by any means necessary. Charles Colson was known as a hatchet man for President Richard Nixon, as was H.R. Haldeman, who proudly described himself as "Richard Nixon's 'son of a bitch'". This use of the term has since become commonplace for anyone who is tasked with conducting distasteful, illegal, or unfair "dirty work" to protect the reputation or power of their employer.
Hatchet man (or similar) may refer to:
Usage examples of "hatchet man".
It was going to be a long night, too, once I went home and started trying to figure out how whoever it was had pulled off the death spell used on Johnny Marcone's hatchet man, Tommy Tomm, and his girlfriend, Jennifer Stanton.
The hatchet man stepped in, trying to grapple, and Havel lashed out with his steel clad forearm.
When he came closer, Harvey recognized Al Hardy, Jellison's administrative assistant and political hatchet man.
Priority case hatchet man for every LA chief of police dating back to Strongarm Dick Steckel.
He too had been in the Congo once, when on the run from the police, and Roux had used him as a hatchet man.
When I told him again that I was not interested in becoming a hatchet man, he did not appear to listen—.
When I told him again that I was not interested in becoming a hatchet man, he did not appear to listen-just said something about getting me something to read.