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# hackles

noun, plural (hackles)

«hackles» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. The hairs or feathers along the back of the neck of a dog, cat or bird that stand up when it is angry or frightened. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hackles/#m1)
2. To raise someone's hackles (or make their hackles rise) means to make them angry. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hackles/#m2)

### In the lessons

In nature lessons about animal body language; in stories and everyday talk about people getting annoyed. Phrases: raise someone's hackles, her hackles rose, put someone's hackles up.

### Examples

- The dog's hackles rose when it saw the fox. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hackles/#x1)
- Rude comments really raise my hackles. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hackles/#x2)
- The cat arched its back and its hackles stood up. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hackles/#x3)
- His bossy tone put my hackles up. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hackles/#x4)
- A cockerel's hackles are long shiny neck feathers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hackles/#x5)
- Her hackles rose when someone called her a cheat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hackles/#x6)

### Note

Almost always plural: hackles. Used as an idiom about people: the hairs do not really rise. Related: get your back up.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «hackles» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hackles/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«hackles» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/hackles.html) on Mova free.