hackle

Rooster neck feather

Hackles are the erectile feathers on a bird's neck, or the corresponding hairs along a dog's back that rise when the animal is agitated or threatened.

The phrase raise one's hackles means to provoke anger or defensiveness: The proposal raised hackles among committee members.

In fly-fishing, a hackle is a feather wound around a hook to imitate insect legs.

To hackle flax or hemp is to comb out the fibers—a sense that survives mainly in technical contexts.

feather

quill

Feather used for writing

barbBackward-pointing spike
shaftNarrow vertical passage
vaneWind direction indicator

barbule · rachis · calamus · cape · saddle · neck · rooster · cock · streamer · dubbing

flyfishing

fly-tying

Creating imitation insect lures

capeShouldered sleeveless wrap
saddleMounted rider's seat
collarNeck encirclement

streamer · rooster · cock · hen · grizzly · dun · badger · furnace · variant · genetic

comb

flax

Fiber and oil crop

hempIndustrial fiber crop
fiberPlant-based digestive aid
combToothed grooming implement

dress · tease · separate · prepare · teeth · carding · processing · linen · textile · tow

anger

raise

Lift or increase

raisedLifted higher up
ruffledDisturbed or trimmed ornamentally
bristleCoarse animal hair

bristling · up · aroused · provoked · irritated · annoyed · aggravated · incensed · indignant · inflamed

hackle

quill

fly-tying

flax

raise

hackle

Opposites

Phrases

Categories

Family