HACKLE

Hackle

The hackle is a clipped feather plume that is attached to a military headdress.

The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Hackle
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

hackle

Noun

  1. An instrument with steel pins used to comb out flax or hemp.
  2. One of the long, narrow feathers on the neck of birds, most noticeable on the cock.
  3. A feather used to make a fishing lure or a fishing lure incorporating a feather.
  4. By extension (because the hackles of a cock are lifted when it is angry), the hair on the nape of the neck in dogs and other animals; also used figuratively for humans.
    When the dog got angry his hackles rose and he growled.
  5. A plate with rows of pointed needles used to blend or straighten hair.
  6. A feather plume on some soldier's uniforms, especially the hat or helmet.
  7. Any flimsy substance unspun, such as raw silk.

Verb

  1. To dress (flax or hemp) with a hackle; to prepare fibres of flax or hemp for spinning.
  2. To separate, as the coarse part of flax or hemp from the fine, by drawing it through the teeth of a hackle or hatchel.
  3. To tear asunder; to break into pieces.
    The other divisions of the kingdom being hackled and torn to pieces. — Burke.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: hackle
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

Need help with a clue?
Try your search in the crossword dictionary!