Adjacent Words

Heckle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HECK'LE, v.t. A different orthography of hackle, or hetchel.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a comb for separating flax fibers [syn: hatchel, heckle] v
1: comb with a heckle; "heckle hemp or flax" [syn: heckle, hackle, hatchel]
2: challenge aggressively

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (heckled; heckling) Etymology: Middle English hekelen to dress flax, scratch, from heckele hackle; akin to Old High German h?ko hook — more at hook Date: circa 1825 to harass and try to disconcert with questions, challenges, or gibes ; badger Synonyms: see bait • heckler noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 interrupt and harass (a public speaker). 2 dress (flax or hemp). Derivatives: heckler n. Etymology: ME, northern and eastern form of HACKLE(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Heckle Hec"kle, v. t. To interrogate, or ply with questions, esp. with severity or antagonism, as a candidate for the ministry. Robert bore heckling, however, with great patience and adroitness. --Mrs. Humphry Ward.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hatchel Hatch"el (?; 277), n. [OE. hechele, hekele; akin to D. hekel, G. hechel, Dan. hegle, Sw. h["a]kla, and prob. to E. hook. See Hook, and cf. Hackle, Heckle.] An instrument with long iron teeth set in a board, for cleansing flax or hemp from the tow, hards, or coarse part; a kind of large comb; -- called also hackle and heckle.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Heckle Hec"kle, n. & v. t. Same as Hackle.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(heckles, heckling, heckled) If people in an audience heckle public speakers or performers, they interrupt them, for example by making rude remarks. They heckled him and interrupted his address with angry questions... A small group of youths stayed behind to heckle and shout abuse. VERB: V n, V • Heckle is also a noun. The offending comment was in fact a heckle from an audience member. N-COUNT • heckling The ceremony was disrupted by unprecedented heckling and slogan-chanting. • heckler (hecklers) As he began his speech, a heckler called out asking for his opinion on gun control. N-COUNT

Moby Thesaurus

aggravate, annoy, badger, bait, barrack, be at, bedevil, beset, bother, bristle, brown off, bug, bullyrag, burn up, card, chivy, comb, curry, devil, discomfit, discompose, disconcert, distemper, disturb, dog, embarrass, exasperate, exercise, fash, faze, get, gripe, hackle, harass, harry, hassle, hatchel, hector, hound, irk, irritate, jeer, miff, molest, nag, needle, nettle, nudzh, peeve, persecute, pester, pick on, pique, plague, pluck the beard, pother, provoke, rake, rattle, ride, rile, roil, ruffle, taunt, tease, torment, try the patience, tweak the nose, vex, worry