noun
a feather or series of feathers on the neck or saddle of a bird, especially a gamecock
verb
to irritate or annoy someone, typically by teasing or provoking them
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The fly fisherman carefully adjusted the hackle on his fishing lure.
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She couldn't help but laugh when her friend's hair stood up like a hackle.
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The old man's hackles were raised when he heard the news.
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The controversial topic seemed to raise hackles among the audience.