machete beta

noun

A harsh and exacting beta-read.

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Meanings

nounmachete beta (countable and uncountable, plural machete betas)

plural machete betas

  1. countableuncountableThe X-Files fandom slangA harsh and exacting beta-read.

    Marasmus, for asking to read it and then agreeing to do machete beta... […]

    2000 July 7, play...@aol.com, “xfc: Gutless by Magdeleine (16/16)”, in alt.tv.x-files.creative (Usenet)
    2 more examples

    Thanks to Livia Balaban for skillfully wielded machete beta (and snorking); […]

    2000 September 20, Alelou123, “NEW: Desire (NC-17) 1/6 by Alelou”, in alt.tv.x-files.creative (Usenet)

    M. Sebasky, whose machete beta brought a lot of richness to this piece; […]

    2001 June 25, Deslea R. Judd, “NEW Dream A Crystal Moon *R* 1/1 Deslea R. Judd”, in alt.tv.x-files.creative (Usenet)

Origin

From the image of the beta-reader freely suggesting edits as if hacking away at the fic with a machete.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

machete beta. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/machete%20beta

MLA

“machete beta.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/machete%20beta. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “machete beta,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/machete%20beta.

Source: machete beta on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.