heckle

English

Etymology

Transferred usage of Middle English hekelen (“to comb flax or hemp with a heckle”), from hekele (“a comb for flax or hemp”), from Middle Dutch hekelen (“to prickle, irritate”), from Proto-Germanic *hakilōną, related to *hakô (“hook”). Related to hackle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛkəl/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛkəl

Verb

heckle (third-person singular simple present heckles, present participle heckling, simple past and past participle heckled)

1. (transitive) To question harshly in an attempt to find or reveal weaknesses. [from later 18th c.]
2. (transitive) To insult, tease, make fun of or badger, especially during a comedy performance.

   Promise that you won't heckle me after my performance.

3. (textiles) To prepare flax for spinning using special combs called hackles

Synonyms

(prepare flax for spinning): hackle

Related terms

• heckler
• heckling

Translations

question harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses

• Bulgarian: апострофирам (bg) (apostrofiram)
• Dutch: hekelen (nl)
• Esperanto: demandaĉi
• Finnish: keskeyttää (fi), huudella (fi)
• German: dazwischenrufen, ausquetschen (de), examinieren (de), verhören (de)
• Polish: przedrzeźniać
• Swedish: häckla (sv)

insult, tease, make fun of, badger

• Danish: håne, fornærme
• Dutch: hekelen (nl)
• Finnish: haukkua (fi), häiritä (fi)
• German: beleidigen (de), beschimpfen (de), verspotten (de), spötteln (de), verhöhnen (de), belästigen (de), bedrängen (de), plagen (de), quälen (de), heimsuchen (de), necken (de), stören (de)
• Latin: convīcior
• Swedish: häckla (sv), pika (sv), håna (sv), skymfa (sv), förolämpa (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: prendere in giro

Noun

heckle (plural heckles)

1. Alternative form of hackle (“tool for separating flax”)
2. The long shining feathers on a cock's neck.
3. A feather ornament in the full-dress bonnets of Highland regiments.
4. An interruption during a show, especially a comedy performance

   The stand-up dealt well with the heckles from the crowd, replying with raucous banter to raise plenty of laughs.

Anagrams

• Heckel