bristle

bristle
    n 1: a stiff fiber (coarse hair or filament); natural or
         synthetic
    2: a stiff hair
    v 1: be in a state of movement or action; "The room abounded
         with screaming children"; "The garden bristled with
         toddlers" [syn: {abound}, {burst}, {bristle}]
    2: rise up as in fear; "The dog's fur bristled"; "It was a sight
       to make one's hair uprise!" [syn: {bristle}, {uprise}, {stand
       up}]
    3: have or be thickly covered with or as if with bristles;
       "bristling leaves"
    4: react in an offended or angry manner; "He bristled at her
       suggestion that he should teach her how to use the program"
    

Bristle \Bris"tle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bristled}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Bristling}.]
   1. To erect the bristles of; to cause to stand up, as the
      bristles of an angry hog; -- sometimes with up.
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            Now for the bare-picked bone of majesty
            Doth dogged war bristle his angry crest. --Shak.
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            Boy, bristle thy courage up.          --Shak.
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   2. To fix a bristle to; as, to bristle a thread.
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Bristle \Bris"tle\, v. i.
   1. To rise or stand erect, like bristles.
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            His hair did bristle upon his head.   --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.
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   2. To appear as if covered with bristles; to have standing,
      thick and erect, like bristles.
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            The hill of La Haye Sainte bristling with ten
            thousand bayonets.                    --Thackeray.
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            Ports bristling with thousands of masts. --Macaulay.
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   3. To show defiance or indignation.
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   {To bristle up}, to show anger or defiance.
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Bristle \Bris"tle\ (br[i^]s"s'l), n. [OE. bristel, brustel, AS.
   bristl, byrst; akin to D. borstel, OHG. burst, G. borste,
   Icel. burst, Sw. borst, and to Skr. bh[.r]shti edge, point,
   and prob, L. fastigium extremity, Gr. 'a`flaston stern of a
   ship, and E. brush, burr, perh. to brad. [root]96.]
   1. A short, stiff, coarse hair, as on the back of swine.
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   2. (Bot.) A stiff, sharp, roundish hair. --Gray.
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172 Moby Thesaurus words for "bristle":
      Vandyke, acuminate, aggravate, anger, annoy, arise, arouse, badger,
      bait, barb, barbel, be alive, be at, be keen, beard, beaver,
      bedevil, beset, bite, blow up, boil, boil over, bother, bramble,
      bridle, bridle up, brier, bristle up, bristle with, bristles,
      brown off, bug, bullyrag, burn, burn up, burr, cactus, capillament,
      catchweed, chafe, chivy, cilium, cleavers, coat, cock up,
      corrugate, crawl, crinkle, crumple, cut, devil, discompose,
      distemper, disturb, dog, down, embitter, exasperate, exercise,
      fash, flare up, fleece, flip out, fret, fume, fur, get, get mad,
      get sore, get up, goatee, goose grass, gripe, hair, harass, harry,
      have an edge, heckle, hector, horripilate, horsehair, hound, huff,
      imperial, incense, inflame, irk, irritate, jump up, mane, miff,
      molest, nag, needle, nettle, nudzh, peach fuzz, peeve, pelt,
      persecute, pester, pick on, pile, pine needle, pique, plague,
      pluck the beard, pother, prick, prickle, provoke, pubescence,
      pubic hair, quill, rage, ramp, rankle, reach boiling point, rear,
      rear up, ride, rile, rise, rise up, roil, ruffle, rumple, see red,
      seethe, set on edge, set up, seta, setula, setule, shag,
      side whiskers, sit bolt upright, sit up, spicule, spiculum, spike,
      spikelet, spine, stand up, stick, stick up, sticker, sting,
      stir the blood, stir up, striga, stubble, swarm, tease, teem,
      thistle, thorn, torment, try the patience, tuft, tweak the nose,
      upheave, uprear, uprise, vex, whisker, whiskers, wool, work up,
      worry, wrinkle, yucca