the.com/prickly
nature's polite way of saying back off without raising its voice
means Covered in small sharp points, or — of a person or mood — easily irritated and quick to take offense.
from From 'prickle,' the Old English 'pricel,' a little goading point, kin to 'prick.' The '-y' tacks on the sense 'full of,' so 'prickly' literally means 'full of tiny stabs' — a meaning that drifted naturally from thorns and hedgehogs to touchy tempers, since both make you wary of getting too close.
- plant defense
- thorns deter grazers from devouring entire plants
- goosebumps
- prickly skin is leftover fur-fluffing reflex
- pear
- prickly pear cactus is edible and ferments into liquor
- social use
- describes people who repel contact like living cacti
prickly pear cactus — opuntia ficus-indica, grows in mediterranean and mexico with sharp spines covering flat paddles
prickly ash tree — zanthoxylum americanum, native to north america with thorns on trunk and branches
prickly heat rash — miliaria rubra, common skin condition in hot humid climates affecting millions annually