hackle

[ hak-uhl ]

/ ˈhæk əl /

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See synonyms for: hackle / hackled / hackling 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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about 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

First recorded in 1450–1400; late Middle English hakel(e), hakle “animal's skin; bird's plumage”; see also heckle

OTHER WORDS FROM hackle

hackler, noun

Words nearby hackle

hack hammer, hack house, hackie, hacking, hacking jacket, hackle, hackleback, hackle fly, hackles, hackly, hackman

Other definitions for hackle (2 of 2)

hackle²

[ hak-uhl ]

/ ˈhæk əl /

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

to cut roughly; hack; mangle.

Origin of hackle

First recorded in 1560–70; hack¹ + -le; cognate with Middle Dutch hakkelen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hackle in a sentence

The idea of legislation that affects only Mountain Valley Pipeline is raising hackles, but anything written broadly enough to include other projects might garner resistance from companies satisfied with their local appellate courts.
Controversial federal court changes debated in Manchin negotiations|Rachel Weiner|August 5, 2022|Washington Post
Robin and I just had to plow through and keep our hackles up.
Inside HBO's Nuclear Family—and a Lesbian Family's Fight To Exist|Madeleine Carlisle|September 23, 2021|Time
The White Palmer—dubbed with white peacock's harl, and a black hackle over it.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
The Black Palmer—dubbed with black copper coloured peacock's harl, and a black cock's hackle over that, wings, blackbird.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland

The Harry Longlegs—dubbed with darkish brown hair, and a brown hackle over it, head rather large.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
White Moth—strands from an Ostrich, wings from a white Pigeon, a white hackle for legs, and a black head.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
The Cad bait, with a little hackle round the top of the shank of the hook, kills well.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland

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

Idioms about hackle

Origin of hackle

OTHER WORDS FROM hackle

Words nearby hackle

Other definitions for hackle (2 of 2)

Origin of hackle

Words related to hackle

How to use hackle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hackle

Derived forms of hackle

Word Origin for hackle