hackled
Variant of hackle
hackle
definition
hackle (hak′əl)
noun
- a comblike instrument for separating the fibers of flax, hemp, etc.
- any of the long, slender feathers at the neck of a rooster, peacock, pigeon, etc.
- such feathers, collectively
- Fishing
- a tuft of feathers from a rooster's neck, used in making artificial flies
- a fly made with a hackle
- the hairs on a dog's neck and back that bristle, as when the dog is ready to fight
Etymology: ME hechele (akin to Ger hechel) < OE *hæcel < IE base *keg-, a peg, hook > hack, hook: senses 2, 3, & 4, prob. infl. by dial. hackle, bird's plumage, animal's skin < OE hacele
hackle Idioms
get one's hackles up
to become tense with anger; bristle
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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