hackle
/ˈhækəl/
noun
- The feathers on the neck of a bird, especially a rooster or other male bird, that stand up when the bird is angry or frightened.
- The bird's hackles were fully raised, making it look much bigger.
- She could see the hackles on the hawk's neck bristle as it prepared to defend itself.
- The rooster's hackles rose when a dog entered the yard.
- A feeling of anger or defensiveness, often used in the phrase 'make someone's hackles rise'.
- His rude comment made her hackles rise immediately.
- Whenever he hears that tone of voice, his hackles go up.
- The unfair decision raised the hackles of everyone in the room.
- A tool with metal teeth used for combing flax or hemp fibers.
- She bought an antique hackle at a craft fair for her fiber art projects.
- In the old days, workers would pass hemp through a hackle to make it smooth.
- The farmer used a hackle to separate the flax fibers.
Synonyms
verb
- To comb or separate fibers using a hackle tool.
- Before weaving, you need to hackle the fibers to remove tangles.
- The artisan hackled the hemp until it was soft and fine.
- She spent the afternoon hackling flax for spinning.