butcher: Meaning and Definition of

butch•er

Pronunciation: (booch'ur), [key]
— n.
  1. a retail or wholesale dealer in meat.
  2. a person who slaughters certain animals, or who dresses the flesh of animals, fish, or poultry, for food or market.
  3. a person guilty of brutal or indiscriminate slaughter or murder.
  4. a vendor who hawks newspapers, candy, beverages, etc., as on a train, at a stadium, etc.
—v.t.
  1. to slaughter or dress (animals, fish, or poultry) for market.
  2. to kill indiscriminately or brutally.
  3. to bungle; botch: to butcher a job.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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