heckle

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈhɛkəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English hekelen (“to comb flax or hemp”),^[2][3][4] from hekele “a comb for flax”, a form of hackle,^[2][5][3] borrowed from Middle Dutch hekelen (“to comb flax; to prickle, irritate”).^[3][4][2] It is related to hook.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

To comb flax or hemp with a heckle, splitting and straightening the fibres (early 14th century).^[4][3][6]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, to question someone severely so as to expose their weaknesses, appears in the late 18th or early 19th century,^[4][6][1] presumably from the image of rough handling.^[4] It was long used in Scotland for the public questioning of parliamentary candidates.^[6][4] It now usually means interrupting a speaker or performer with gibes.^[2][5][7] Heckler in this sense is recorded from 1885, though it had meant a flax-dresser since 1440.^[3]

Timeline

• 1325 – to comb flax or hemp.^[3]
• about 1425 – noun, a flax comb.^[6][3]
• 1808 – to question severely, as with parliamentary candidates in Scotland.^[6][3]
• about 1825 – first date given by Merriam-Webster.^[5]
• 1885 – heckler, one who heckles.^[3]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To harass a speaker or performer with questions, interruptions or gibes.
2. To comb flax or hemp with a hackle.

Noun

1. A comb for flax; a hackle.

Word family

• heckler

Related words

• hackle
• hatchel

Usage notes

Random House lists bait, provoke, needle, hector and hound as synonyms.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House