hackle
1 of 2noun
hackle
2 of 2verb
transitive verb
Did you know?
In its earliest uses in the 15th century, hackle denoted either a bird's neck plumage or an instrument used to comb out long fibers of flax, hemp, or jute. Apparently, some folks saw a resemblance between the neck feathers of domestic birds—which, on a male, become erect when the bird is defensive—and the prongs of the comb-like tool. In the 19th century, English speakers extended the word's use to both dogs and people. Like the bird's feathers, the erectile hairs on the back of a dog's neck stand up when the animal is agitated. With humans, use of the word hackles is usually figurative. When you raise someone's hackles, you make them angry or put them on the defensive.
Example Sentences
Bill May, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 4 July 2021 The use of both red and yellow hackles is striking; the pattern’s flat silver tinsel adds flash and attractiveness. Mike Valla, Field & Stream, 14 May 2020 The ways young children play can also raise animals’ hackles. Alla Katsnelson, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2020 The mere mention of the word even seemed to raise Yelich's hackles. Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2020 Rubio’s other ideas are the sort that shouldn’t really raze libertarian hackles that much: expanding the federal per-child tax credit, reforming the Small Business Administration, and so on. Jim Geraghty, National Review, 13 Dec. 2019 Parking in the lot is cheap, and street parking free, so finding a spot for Spot won’t raise your hackles. Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2019 This feline profiteering raised the hackles of an animal-rights activist in Florida named Carole Baskin, a dotty, hippie-ish blonde who wears almost exclusively leopard-print clothing and floral crowns. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2020 And their experiences raise hackles when compared to politicians and celebrities who sometimes are tested without delay. Dennis Wagner, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2020 See More Word History
Noun
Middle English hakell; akin to Old High German hāko hook — more at hook
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1599, in the meaning defined above