HECKLE


Meaning of HECKLE in English

I. ˈhekəl

chiefly dialect

variant of hackle

II. transitive verb

( heckled ; heckled ; heckling -k(ə)liŋ ; heckles )

Etymology: Middle English hekelen, from hakell, heckele hackle — more at hatchel

1. : hackle IV 1

2.

a. : to harass with questions, challenges, gibes, or objections designed to embarrass and disconcert : badger

would gather in front-row seats and heckle the performers with shouts — E.J.Kahn

b. : to interfere with unjustifiably or with hostile intent : meddle with so as to annoy, disturb, or injure : molest

heckled even by photographers who … set off flash bulbs as he was about to start — Claudia Cassidy

seemed too harried and heckled by her life to spare love for the older children — John Dollard

Synonyms: see bait

III.

variant of hickwall

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.