bushwhack
verb
bush·whack
ˈbu̇sh-ˌ(h)wak
bushwhacked; bushwhacking; bushwhacks
1
transitive
: to attack (someone) by surprise from a hidden place : ambush
… the American banditti robbed trains and bushwhacked stagecoaches and settlers' caravans with equal enthusiasm for fistic violence and gunplay.—James Gray
Williams wears a pistol when he goes into the countryside and worries that someone might bushwhack him because he is outspoken.—Monty Brower and Bill Shaw
2
a
: to travel by foot through uncleared terrain
Other beaches have no access at all; you have to bushwhack to get to them, through terrain infested with rattlesnakes, poison oak, and other hazards.—Anthony Brandt
No paths presented themselves and I bushwhacked through numerous fallen and dead trees.—Rob Nicholson
… decided it was best to "bushwhack," or wander off the path to get closer to the barred owl and possibly catch a glimpse of it.—Eric Koszalka
b
: to clear a path or advance through thick woods especially by chopping down bushes and low branches
… it would allow them to locate their prey without having to bushwhack through the jungle for days or weeks.—Earth Island Journal
bushwhacker
noun
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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