Heckle
ahd-5
transitive verb.
To try to embarrass and annoy (someone speaking or performing in public) by questions, gibes, or objections; badger.
transitive verb.
To comb (flax or hemp) with a hatchel.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
noun.
An instrument for cleaning, sorting, and straightening raw flax and hemp: same as
hatchel
.
To comb, as flax or hemp; hatchel.
To question, especially in a severe or antagonistic manner, as a parliamentary candidate in Great Britain.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Same as
hackle
.
transitive verb.
To interrogate, or ply with questions, esp. with severity or antagonism, as a candidate for the ministry.
transitive verb.
To shout questions or jibes at (a public speaker), so as to disconcert him or render his talk ineffective.
Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
verb.
To
insult
,
tease
,
make fun of
or
badger
.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
verb.
comb with a heckle
noun.
a comb for separating flax fibers
verb.
challenge aggressively
Word Usage
"The heckle is the first chink in our civility towards our government institutions and our heritage that sets us apart from other nations."
Etymologically Related
heckler
Hypernym
Words that are more generic or abstract
breakup
comb
cut-off
disrupt
interrupt
Rhyme
Words with the same terminal sound
dekle
freckle
seckel
shekel
speckle
Same Context
Words that are found in similar contexts
attractive-looking
carob
change
exhauster
flakey
Synonym
Words with the same meaning
aggravate
annoy
badger
bait
barrack
variant
hackle
verb-form
heckled
heckles
heckling