the.com/bristly
Nature's velcro, a personality, and a beard verdict — all standing perfectly on edge
means Covered in short, stiff, prickly hairs or points — or, of a person, easily irritated and quick to take offense.
from From "bristle," the stiff hair of a pig or boar, which traces back to Old English "byrst" (bristle), a cousin of Old Norse and German words for the same coarse hair. The "-ly" simply turns the noun into an adjective: "like bristles." The leap from a hog's hackles to a touchy temperament is an old and natural one — when an animal or a person bristles, the hairs (or the hackles) literally rise.
- root word
- From Old English byrst, meaning a stiff hair
- hog source
- Boar bristles built brushes for centuries
- defense mode
- Hedgehogs and porcupines bristle to look unkissable
- mood usage
- People bristle at insults, hairs metaphorically raised