hassle English · revision 2192

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈhæsl̩/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ Of unknown origin.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(RHWU) It may come from Southern US dialect ''hassle'' “to pant, breathe noisily” (1928),^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) or from English dialect ''hassle'' “to hack at with a blunt knife”.^(AHD) Etymonline also mentions ''hatchel'' “to harass”.^(Etymonline) It is often explained as a blend, of ''harass'' and ''hustle'' (Merriam-Webster's suggestion for the verb), or of ''haggle'' with ''tussle'' or ''wrestle''.^(MW Collegiate)^(AHD)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A quarrel, argument or fuss; a difficulty or trouble (1945, American English).^(OED 1989)^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) Random House dates it to 1935–40.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Etymonline cites the noun from ''Down Beat'' magazine in 1945 and notes that it was a show-business vogue word in 1946.^(Etymonline) The verb, “to argue” and “to bother, harass”, followed in 1951.^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1928 – Southern dialect ''hassle'', to pant.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1945 – a quarrel; trouble, bother.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1951 – verb, to argue; to harass.^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Trouble or bother; an annoying problem or inconvenience.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # An argument or fight.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To bother, annoy or harass persistently.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To argue or fight.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[hassler]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[harass]]

+ * [[hustle]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}