Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for April 17, 2023 is:

hackles • \HAK-ulz\  • noun
Hackles are hairs along the neck and back of an animal (especially a dog) that are capable of being raised to a stiff, upright position (as when a dog is fright…

In its earliest uses in the 15th century, hackle referred to either the plumage along a bird’s neck or to a device used to comb out long fibers of flax, hemp, or jute. Things took a turn in the 19th …