Die woordeboekdefinisie van "hakkels" is die hare op die agterkant van 'n dier se nek wat opstaan wanneer dit kwaad of bang is. Figuurlik kan dit verwys na 'n persoon se gevoelens van woede of vyandigheid, of 'n gespanne of vyandige atmosfeer.
If she and Trent could get past circling one another with raised hackles, and she could get past her unruly hormones, surely things would improve.
Fire burst from its open mouth, its eyes glowed with a smouldering glare, its muzzle and hackles and dewlap were outlined in flickering flame.
These, though known for their valour and their breed, were whimpering in a cluster at the head of a deep dip or goyal, as we call it, upon the moor, some slinking away and some, with starting hackles and staring eyes, gazing down the narrow valley before them.
The skin between his shoulders itched and his hackles rose.
Her hackles rose along her back, and the top of her head wrinkled.
I could feel my hackles rise as I imagined someone staring at our backs, tracking just a few steps behind us.
The corner was blind, and Rowan felt his hackles rise.
There was something wrong about him, something that set her flesh to crawling and her hackles twitching on end.
I swiveled around crouching to the ground, growling, my hackles raised.
The hackles at the back of her neck were rising again, as if she were being watched.
