scalphunter means A warrior who collects the scalps of vanquished enemies. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “scalphunter” is a great word
SCALPHUNTER — [Noun] One who hunts for the scalp of a slain enemy as a trophy, or an espionage operative who covertly identifies and entraps potential defectors. From scalp (referring to the skin and hair of the head taken as a trophy) + hunter (one who hunts). Unlike a bounty hunter, who pursues a fugitive for a price, or a recruiter, who openly seeks to enlist, a scalphunter traffics in the intimate calculus of covert procurement. It is the sun-bleached hair drying on a frontier belt, the dossier compiled in a safe-house café, the whispered promise of asylum that is really a snare—a vocation that reduces the human being to a transaction in flesh or fractured loyalty.
Etymology
From scalp + hunter.
noun
- A warrior who collects the scalps of vanquished enemies.
- An agent who vets potential defectors.“There is one class of spook we have not encountered as yet. This is the scalp-hunter, or defector-hunter. Quite often a scalp-hunter will be more valuable than almost any other intelligence operator.”