hackle

[ hak-uh l ]

/ ˈhæk əl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hackle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

one of the long, slender feathers on the neck or saddle of certain birds, as the domestic rooster, much used in making artificial flies for anglers.

the neck plumage of a male bird, as the domestic rooster.

hackles,

the erectile hair on the back of an animal's neck: At the sound of footsteps, the dog raised her hackles.
anger, especially when aroused in a challenging or challenged manner: with one's hackles up.

Angling.

the legs of an artificial fly made with feathers from the neck or saddle of a rooster or other such bird.
hackle fly.

a comb for dressing flax or hemp.

verb (used with object), hack·led, hack·ling.

Angling. to equip with a hackle.

to comb, as flax or hemp.

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Words nearby hackle

hackery, hackette, hackie, hacking, hacking jacket, hackle, hackle fly, hackleback, hackles, hackly, hackman

Idioms for hackle

raise one's hackles, to arouse one's anger: Such officiousness always raises my hackles.

Also hatchel, heckle (for defs 5, 7).

Origin of hackle

1400–50; late Middle English hakell; see heckle

OTHER WORDS FROM hackle

hack·ler, noun

Definition for hackle (2 of 2)

hackle²

[ hak-uh l ]

/ ˈhæk əl /

verb (used with object), hack·led, hack·ling.

to cut roughly; hack; mangle.

Origin of hackle

1570–80; hack¹ + -le; cognate with Middle Dutch hakkelen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for hackle

That nasty little freckle-faced young 60 one from Dogtown will never get a foot of Hackle Islandyoull see!
The Campfire Girls on Station Island|Margaret Penrose
Be sure that the hackle is tied on edgewise with the shiny side to the front.
How to Tie Flies|E. C. Gregg
The body and hackle, when put on, should therefore appear as shown in Fig. 14.
Old Flies in New Dresses|Charles Edward Walker
The shells are shredded, the feathers are caked and bitten, the hackle is frazzled and frayed out.
The Tent Dwellers|Albert Bigelow Paine

Dey would den put de flax on a hackle, a board wid a lot of pegs in it.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves, North Carolina Narratives, Part 2|Work Projects Administration

British Dictionary definitions for hackle

hackle

/ (ˈhækəl) /

noun

any of the long slender feathers on the necks of poultry and other birds

angling

parts of an artificial fly made from hackle feathers, representing the legs and sometimes the wings of a real fly
short for hackle fly

a feathered ornament worn in the headdress of some British regiments

a steel flax comb

verb (tr)

to comb (flax) using a hackle

Derived forms of hackle

hackler, noun

Word Origin for hackle

C15: hakell, probably from Old English; variant of heckle; see hatchel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hackle

noun

verb (used with object), hack·led, hack·ling.

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Words related to hackle

Words nearby hackle

Idioms for hackle

Origin of hackle

OTHER WORDS FROM hackle

Definition for hackle (2 of 2)

verb (used with object), hack·led, hack·ling.

Origin of hackle

Example sentences from the Web for hackle

British Dictionary definitions for hackle

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of hackle

Word Origin for hackle