— tackler , n.
/tak"euhl/ or, for 2-4, /tay"keuhl/ , n. , v. , tackled, tackling .
n.
1. equipment, apparatus, or gear, esp. for fishing: fishing tackle.
2. a mechanism or apparatus, as a rope and block or a combination of ropes and blocks, for hoisting, lowering, and shifting objects or materials; purchase.
3. any system of leverage using several pulleys.
4. Naut. the gear and running rigging for handling a ship or performing some task on a ship.
5. an act of tackling, as in football; a seizing, grasping, or bringing down.
6. Football.
a. either of the linemen stationed between a guard and an end.
b. the position played by this lineman.
7. (formerly) tack 1 (def. 8).
v.t.
8. to undertake to handle, master, solve, etc.: to tackle a difficult problem.
9. to deal with (a person) on some problem, issue, etc.
10. to harness (a horse).
11. Football. to seize, stop, or throw down (a ball-carrier).
12. Soccer , Field Hockey. to block or impede the movement or progress of (an opponent having the ball) with the result of depriving the opponent of the ball.
13. to seize suddenly, esp. in order to stop.
v.i.
14. Football. to tackle an opponent having the ball.
[ 1200-50; ME takel gear, apparatus ]