Strong, muscular followers or subordinates who do the dirty work for a leader; thugs hired to carry out a boss's orders or protect them.
From 'henchman' combining 'hench' (strong, from Old English 'hengest' meaning horse—comparing strength to a horse) and 'man.' Originally used for skilled warriors or servants.
In movies, every villain needs henchmen—but in real life, crime bosses who rely too much on loyal followers get caught because informants betray them!
Henchmen is explicitly masculine (men), defaulting to male references for subordinate hired muscle or criminals, erasing women's actual presence in these roles across history.
Use 'henchperson,' 'accomplices,' or 'hired muscle' to avoid gendered defaults. When gender is relevant, specify: 'male accomplices' or 'female enforcers.'
["accomplices","hires","subordinates","enforcers"]
Women have historically worked as criminal operatives and enforcers; masculine-defaulting language erases their presence and agency in these roles.
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