Definition of hackle in English:
hackle
noun
1hacklesErectile hairs along the back of a dog or other animal that rise when it is angry or alarmed.
‘the dog continued to growl, its hackles raised’- ‘The dog stared, ears flattening, and she saw his hackles rise along his spine.’
- ‘Her eyes practically exploded with flames and her hair rose a little, like a dog rising its hackles.’
- ‘Sekher felt his hackles rise, claws extruded in fear.’
- ‘Bebe puffed up her little body, her short fur trying to ridge along her back into hackles, her bared fangs at Daisy's throat.’
- ‘Their thick hackles rose and their lips curled back into snarls as they spotted the two.’
- ‘His hackles rising, he switched into ‘protector’ mode.’
- ‘Next to me, I could almost feel Cale's hackles rising in defiance and uneasiness, much like a cornered dog about to make a break for it between the gaps in the ring of its attackers.’
- ‘The dogs growled and slowed, their hackles rising.’
- ‘Isabella's hackles rose, immediately running to my defense.’
- ‘Bowering's hackles rise and then just as quickly fall again.’
- ‘Lee's hackles rose, his ears flattened, and a low growl began deep in his chest.’
- ‘The boar saw the sword and his hackles rose; the hunters feared for their lord's life.’
- ‘It bared its teeth, hackles bristling, and snarled.’
- ‘Black throat-feathers bristled like the hackles of an angered wolf, while its dark eyes were set off by striking ‘eyebrows’ - wattles of vivid red flesh.’
- ‘He saw his snarling muzzle clamped tight, saw bristling hackles and a bright amber eye wide with terror - just as something struck him.’
- ‘Its hackles raised and its teeth bared ferociously; she was scared.’
- ‘A pack of wolves, fifty at least, were coming toward her, hackles raised, teeth bared, snarling.’
- ‘The smell conjured up terrible, dog-like images of danger and violence, and the hackles on the tomcat's neck stood at attention.’
- ‘With malevolent eye highlighted in red and throat feathers raised like the hackles of a dog, he was distinctly intimidating.’
2often hacklesA long, narrow feather on the neck or saddle of a domestic rooster or other bird.
‘Even before they hit the ground both birds fan their hackles out, resembling nothing so much as a suddenly opened umbrella.’- ‘Another distinct bird is the Nicobar pigeon with its metallic green hackles and sheen on its plumage.’
- 2.1Fishing A feather wound around a fishing fly so that its filaments are splayed out.‘I clip off all the bottom and top hackles leaving the side hackles to ensure the fly sits in the surface film.’
- ‘Different coloured hackle fibres for tail and throat hackles can work well.’
- ‘Take ribbing wire through the hackle again in open’
- ‘Wind the hackle evenly down the body to the tail.’
- ‘Wind on the hackle for three turns towards the eye.’
- 2.2Fly-fishing feathers collectively.‘raising birds for hackle’
- ‘I believe that the palmered body hackle causes a disturbance in the water and this is an attraction itself.’
- ‘Twist peacock herl ends and wind on in front of hackle to form a neat head.’
- ‘At the front I use two or three strands of three inches of round rubber hackle.’
- ‘He casts the royal coachman - white wings and russet hackle, pheasant tippits and peacock herl - to feign the nymph and summon rainbows from a shadow world.’
- ‘One of the eyes was seated a bit crooked and the tuft of hackle was a tad twisted, but the overall result looked pretty good, especially after several additional sips of aged rum.’
- 2.3A bunch of feathers in a military headdress.‘Faced with the famous red hackles of the the organization, they dropped their bags and applauded.’
- ‘He will attempt to claim credit for preserving individual regimental identities within the new Scottish regiment by keeping their traditional cap badges, hackles and other distinctive traditions.’
- ‘Down the main street strides the major of the army, an icy wind pulling at the red hackle on his bonnet.’
- ‘A soldier with 16 years' experience warned that there would be a mutiny if the symbolic red hackle was dropped as part of the regimental restructuring.’
3A steel comb for separating flax fibers.
Pronunciation
transitive verb
[with object]Dress or comb with a hackle.
‘taking each section separately the student should lightly hackle the extreme ends’- ‘Then the stems were hackled (from the Old High German word that also gave us hook) to remove any remaining non-fibrous material by drawing them through a big comb consisting of a bed of nails in a wooden board.’
- ‘In August we shall keep many people busy with retting and hackling, and by late September have much linen thread to spin.’
- ‘Spinning wheels lined the walls and at the central tables others sorted, hackled and carded the wool.’
separate, dress, card, tease, hackle, heckle, hatchel
Pronunciation
Phrases
- make someone's hackles rise
Make someone angry or indignant.
‘Why, it makes my hackles rise in self-righteous horror!’- ‘I knew it was a grin, but the bared teeth still made my hackles rise.’
- ‘As nondescript and unassuming as he seemed, his mere presence made my hackles rise.’
- ‘The sound of footsteps behind him made his hackles rise.’
- ‘The sudden picture of Bruce sitting so close to her, hands clasped, made his hackles rise.’
Origin
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