hatchet

bury the hatchet

to forget about arguments and disagreements with someone and to become friends with them again. It had been over a year since the incident and I thought it was time we buried the hatchet.

See also: bury

a hatchet job (informal)

strong and unfair criticism of someone or something, especially on television or in a newspaper. She did a real hatchet job on his latest novel in one of the Sunday papers.

See also: job

a hatchet man (informal)

someone who is employed by an organization to make changes that people do not like. The hatchet man is called in whenever a company needs to reduce its staff.

See also: man

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bury the hatchet

to agree that you will forget about arguments and disagreements with someone. The two teammates hope to bury the hatchet long enough to win the championship.

Etymology: based on the custom of literally burying a hatchet (= cutting tool with a small handle) as a symbol of peace between Native American tribes (= groups of people)

See also: bury