hockle

American

[hok-uhl] / ˈhɒk əl /

verb (used without object)

hockled, hockling

(of a rope) to have the yarns spread and kinked through twisting in use.

noun

the spreading and kinking of the yarns in a rope strand.

hockle British

/ ˈhɒkəl /

verb

dialect to spit

"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

Etymology

Origin of hockle

Perhaps hock ¹ + -le

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Hockle, hok′l, v.t. to hamstring.

From Project Gutenberg

With a guttural growl we summon up a perfect specimen of hockle before launching it grenade-like to some unseen target across the pavement.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023