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hackle
get (someone's) hackles up
To become or cause to become angry, hostile, defensive, or irritable. John got his hackles up when his parents brought up the subject of college. Election season always gets my dad's hackles up.
make (someone's) hackles rise
To greatly irritate, annoy, or aggravate someone. The disrespect he showed our professor during class made my hackles rise so badly that I had to go take a walk to calm down. The politician has a gift for making his opponents' hackles rise during debates.
get someone's dander up
and get someone's back up; get someone's hackles up; get someone's Irish up; put someone's back upFig. to make someone get angry. (Fixed order.) Now, don't get your dander up. Calm down. I insulted him and really got his hackles up. Bob had his Irish up all day yesterday. I don't know what was wrong. Now, now, don't get your back up. I didn't mean any harm.
raise your hackles
to annoy someone Jim could raise her hackles quickly, but she enjoyed being with him anyway.
Related vocabulary: make your hair stand on endEtymology: based on the literal meaning of hackles (the hairs on the back of a dog's neck that stick up when the dog fears something)
raise (somebody's) hackles
also make (somebody's) hackles rise to annoy someone
Usage notes: Hackles are the hairs on the back of a dog's neck which stand up when it is angry.
The politician's frank interview may have raised hackles in his party. The movie's pro-war message made many people's hackles rise. raise one's hackles
Make one very angry, as in That really raised my hackles when he pitched straight at the batter's head. Hackles are the hairs on the back of an animal's neck, which stick up when the animal feels fearful or angry. [Late 1800s]
get (one's) hackles up
To be extremely insulted or irritated.