Hacking

Short and interrupted; as, a hacking Hackle, v. a. [Dut. hekelen. See the noun.] To comb, as flax; to separate, as the coarse part of hemp or flax from the fine, by means of a hackle. To tear asunder. -n. [Dut. hekel, a comb; Ger, hechel, allied to haken, to grapple, to hook.] An instrument with teeth, or a board set with spikes, for separating the coarser part of hemp or flax from the fine; a hatchel. - Raw silk; any flimsy substance unspun. A fly for angling. Hac'kles, n . pl. A term applied to the slender feathers from the neck and backs of birds used by fly-fishers. The most esteemed hackles are the duns .