meatgrinder

• meat grinder, meat-grinder

From meat +‎ grinder.

meatgrinder (plural meatgrinders)

1. A device for cutting meat into very small pieces.

   Keep your fingers away from the throat of the meatgrinder.

2. (informal) An activity with a high casualty or attrition rate, such as a military battle or an occupational or athletic activity.

   The mountainous second day of the race was a real meatgrinder, with 20% of racers dropping out.

   • 2015 February 11, Sydney Freedberg, 4,817 Targets: How Six Months Of Airstrikes Have Hurt ISIL (Or Not)‎^[1]:

     Last year’s lightning advances gave way to local stalemates and a meatgrinder battle for Kobani, where ISIL troops massing to attack the Kurds on the ground made themselves easy targets for the Americans in the air.

3. (informal) A process that is likely to be injurious in a non-physical way.

   Senate confirmation hearings are a real meatgrinder, discouraging people from government service.

   • 1980 April 19, Andrea Loewenstein, “Random Lust”, in Gay Community News, page 10:

     A world all too ready to swallow Their Kind in its all consuming meat grinder.

• meat assault