hackle

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of the long, slender, often glossy feathers on the neck of a bird, especially a male domestic fowl.
2. n. The erectile hairs along the back of the neck of an animal, especially of a dog.
3. n. A tuft of cock feathers trimming an artificial fishing fly.
4. n. A hackle fly.
5. v. To trim (an artificial fishing fly) with a hackle.
6. idiom. get (one's) hackles up To be extremely insulted or irritated.
7. v. To chop roughly; mangle by hacking.
8. v. To hack.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To hack roughly; haggle. See haggle.
2. n. A conical covering of straw or hay, such as is used to thatch a beehive.
3. n. A comb for dressing flax: same as heckle, 1.
4. n. Any flimsy substance unspun, as raw silk.
5. n. One of the long slender feathers from the neck or saddle of the domestic cock, much used by anglers for making artificial flies. They are distinguished as neck-hackles and saddle-hackles, according to their situation; the former are stouter and stronger than the latter. Many different colors are found, as black, white, gray, red, dun, ginger (light yellowish-red), gingerbarred, furnace (red and black), etc. Hackles for flies are also dyed of any desired color. By extension the term is applied to the similar feathers of other birds, especially when used for the same purpose. Sometimes called shiner.
6. n. An artificial fly made without wings to represent a caterpillar or other larva, or the larva-like body of a winged fly; a palmer.
7. n. In heraldry, same as bray, 2 .
8. To comb, as flax or hemp: same as heckle.
9. To tear asunder.
10. n. One of the long hairs which, when erected, form a crest along the neck and back of a dog.
11. In angling, to dress (an artificial fly) with hackle.

Wiktionary

1. n. An instrument with steel pins used to comb out flax or hemp. [from 15th c.]
2. n. One of the long, narrow feathers on the neck of birds, most noticeable on the cock. [from 15th c.]
3. n. A feather used to make a fishing lure or a fishing lure incorporating a feather. [from 17th c.]
4. n. By extension (because the hackles of a cock are lifted when it's angry), the hair on the nape of the neck in dogs and other animals; also used figuratively for humans. [from 19th c.]
5. n. A plate with rows of pointed needles used to blend or straighten hair. [from 20th c.]
6. n. A feather plume on some soldier's uniforms, especially the hat or helmet.
7. v. To dress (flax or hemp) with a hackle; to prepare fibres of flax or hemp for spinning. [from 17th c.]

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A comb for dressing flax, raw silk, etc.; a hatchel.
2. n. Any flimsy substance unspun, as raw silk.
3. n. One of the peculiar, long, narrow feathers on the neck of fowls, most noticeable on the cock, -- often used in making artificial flies; hence, any feather so used.
4. n. An artificial fly for angling, made of feathers.
5. v. To separate, as the coarse part of flax or hemp from the fine, by drawing it through the teeth of a hackle or hatchel.
6. v. To tear asunder; to break in pieces.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. comb with a heckle
2. n. long slender feather on the necks of e.g. turkeys and pheasants