A
battle-axe is a term, generally considered pejorative, for an aggressive, domineering and forceful woman. The prime example was the militant
temperance activist
Carrie Nation, who wielded a
hatchet and made it her symbol, living in
Hatchet Hall and publishing a magazine called
The Hatchet. She became involved in the
suffragette campaign for votes for women and this campaign further established the archetype.