army of hacks

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "army of hacks" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a large group of individuals who are perceived as unskilled or incompetent, often in a derogatory manner. Example: "The project was poorly executed, and it seemed like an army of hacks was responsible for the mess."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

An army of hacks.

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

"China has an army of people hacking into our systems.

BBC

"We created a gulag for children, a destructive place where troubled youths suffered harm at the hands of an army of political patronage hacks".

The New York Times

"The first, much like the death of a thousand cuts, is that they're chipping away at everything they used to represent by replacing real reporting with SEO-driven bullshit and an army of unpaid amateur hack bloggers.

TechCrunch

Cyber policing units have had such success in forcing online criminals to co-operate with their investigations through the threat of long prison sentences that they have managed to create an army of informants deep inside the hacking community.

The Guardian - Tech

The worst kind of hacks.

The New York Times - Arts

+Denotes hacked logins in 2nd experiment, superscript is number of hacks.

EURASIP Journal on Information Security

Offers of hacks, cheats, passwords, etc.

WikiHow

By mid-1886 armyrmy of diggers had descended on the Witwatersrand, hacking away with picks and shovels along a line that soon stretched 40 miles west to east.

Encyclopedia Britannica

£29.99 £49.9999 Format DS, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 Publisher Ubisoft When the Prince's older brother unwittingly unleashes the army of King Solomon, it falls to the Prince to leap, climb and hack his way to a solution.

Independent

In any case, no company is safe from Chinese hack attacks, which are, evidence suggests, the work not only of a growing army of government hackers but of proud Chinese civilians.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using the phrase "army of hacks", ensure that the context clearly conveys a critical or derogatory assessment of a group's competence. Overuse can diminish the impact, so reserve it for situations where incompetence is particularly evident.

Common error

Avoid using "army of hacks" in neutral or positive contexts. This phrase carries a strongly negative connotation and is inappropriate when describing a group you admire or respect.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "army of hacks" functions as a noun phrase, specifically a collective noun ("army") followed by a prepositional phrase ("of hacks"). It serves to describe a large group of people characterized by their perceived lack of skill or competence, similarly to what Ludwig indicates about its negative connotation.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "army of hacks" is a grammatically correct but informal expression used to negatively describe a large group of people perceived as incompetent. As Ludwig AI indicates, its primary function is to express criticism and derision, devaluing the skills of the group in question. Predominantly found in news and media contexts, it's crucial to be mindful of the strong negative connotations and use it judiciously to avoid misinterpretations or unintended offense. Alternatives like "group of incompetent individuals" or "collection of unskilled workers" can provide a milder way to convey the same sentiment.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

group of incompetent individuals

Replaces 'army' with 'group' and specifies 'incompetent individuals' instead of the more general 'hacks'.

collection of unskilled workers

Substitutes 'army' with 'collection' and 'hacks' with 'unskilled workers', providing a less informal tone.

band of inept personnel

Uses 'band' to replace 'army' and 'inept personnel' for 'hacks', suggesting a more organized but still ineffective group.

cluster of inadequate performers

Replaces 'army' with 'cluster' and 'hacks' with 'inadequate performers', emphasizing poor performance.

team of second-raters

Suggests a team context where members are considered 'second-raters', instead of simply 'hacks'.

multitude of bunglers

Replaces 'army' with 'multitude' and 'hacks' with 'bunglers', highlighting clumsiness and lack of skill.

host of poor practitioners

Uses 'host' to mean a large number and replaces 'hacks' with 'poor practitioners', focusing on their lack of expertise.

company of bungling amateurs

Substitutes 'army' with 'company' and 'hacks' with 'bungling amateurs', emphasizing inexperience and incompetence.

assembly of unqualified people

Replaces 'army' with 'assembly' and 'hacks' with 'unqualified people', highlighting a lack of qualifications.

legion of incompetent staff

Suggests a large group ('legion') of 'incompetent staff' instead of 'hacks'.

FAQs

How can I use "army of hacks" in a sentence?

You can use "army of hacks" to describe a large group of people perceived as incompetent or unskilled. For example, "The project failed because it was managed by an "army of hacks"."

What's a less offensive way to say "army of hacks"?

Consider using phrases like "group of incompetent individuals" or "collection of unskilled workers" to convey a similar meaning with a milder tone.

Is "army of hacks" grammatically correct?

Yes, "army of hacks" is grammatically correct. It uses "army" as a collective noun followed by the preposition "of" and the noun "hacks". However, be mindful of its negative connotation.

What is the difference between "army of experts" and "army of hacks"?

"Army of experts" describes a large group of highly skilled individuals, while "army of hacks" describes a large group of unskilled or incompetent individuals. The key difference lies in the skill level implied by the words "experts" versus "hacks".