heckle

But then in 2011 he weaponized comedy, slicing and dicing his political rivals in the same way a comedian deals with a heckler.
Obama Will Weaponize Comedy at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner|Dean Obeidallah|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Glaser says attacking the audience is off-limits, though she did call a heckler a “c--t” once.
What Women Comedians Want: Yael Kohen’s ‘We Killed’|Allison Yarrow|October 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“You can hold your own rally,” the president told the heckler.
Daily Caller Reporter, Wilson’s ‘You Lie!’ & More Obama Hecklers (VIDEO)|Jake Heller|June 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He got a huge reaction, which could not have discouraged him from taking on a heckler at a Meg Whitman event a few days later.
The One Who Got Away|Michael Daly|October 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST

He had to repeat the line twice because the heckler all but drowned him out.
Weiner’s Last Words|Howard Kurtz|June 16, 2011|DAILY BEAST
As a heckler he was something fearsome; they had to seat him on the platform for to keep him quiet.
What Every Woman Knows|James M. Barrie
Then the bearded attorney, whose fame was secure as a heckler of witnesses, rose dramatically from his chair.
The Tempering|Charles Neville Buck
Homer Crawford drifted away again before the heckler recovered.
Black Man's Burden|Dallas McCord Reynolds
In 1654 the spire was destroyed by lightning; the skilful architect Heckler was obliged to rebuild it sixty five feet high.
Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of Strasburg|Anonymous
He was a stout man, dressed in a dark jacket, and had the appearance of a heckler.
The Great North Road: London to York|Charles G. Harper

British Dictionary definitions for heckler

heckle

/ (ˈhɛkəl) /

verb

to interrupt (a public speaker, performer, etc) by comments, questions, or taunts

Also: hackle, hatchel (tr) to comb (hemp or flax)

noun

an instrument for combing flax or hemp

Derived Formsheckler, noun

Word Origin for heckle

C15: Northern and East Anglian form of hackle

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

Word Origin and History for heckler (1 of 3)

heckler

agent noun from heckle (v.); mid-15c., from late 13c., as a surname (Will. le Hekelere). Modern sense of "one from the audience who taunts a public speaker" is from 1885. Fem. form hekelstere is attested from c.1500.

Word Origin and History for heckler (1 of 3)

heckle

"flax comb," c.1300, hechel, perhaps from an unrecorded Old English *hecel or a cognate Germanic word (cf. Middle High German hechel, Middle Dutch hekel), from Proto-Germanic *hakila-, from PIE *keg- "hook, tooth" (see hook).

Word Origin and History for heckler (2 of 3)

heckle

early 14c., "to comb (flax or hemp) with a heckle;" from heckle (n.) or from related Middle Dutch hekelen. Figurative meaning "to question severely in a bid to uncover weakness" is from late 18c. "Long applied in Scotland to the public questioning of parliamentary candidates" [OED]. Related: Heckled; heckling.

heckle

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

noun

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British Dictionary definitions for heckler

heckle

verb

noun

Word Origin for heckle

Word Origin and History for heckler (1 of 3)

heckler

Word Origin and History for heckler (1 of 3)

heckle

Word Origin and History for heckler (2 of 3)

heckle