huckle

From huck (from Middle English hoke (“hook”), hokebone, probably so called because of its round shape) + -le. See also hook.

• IPA^(key): /ˈhʌkəl/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌkəl

huckle (plural huckles)

1. (obsolete) The hip, the haunch.
   • 1676, A Way to Get Wealth, Book I, page 5:

     […] which approves a quick gathering up of his legs withoute pain, his huckle bones round and hidden, […]

   • 1687, The History of the Most Renowned Don Quixote of Mancha and His Trusty Squire (translated by JP), Book II, page 433:

     At what time Don Quixote, who had very much bruis'd his Huckle-bone, with a Hipshot grace approaching the Lady fell upon his Knees […]

   • 1837, John French Burke, British husbandry: exhibiting the farming practice, page 392:

     Next, the hand may be laid upon his huckle-bones, and if the parts there likewise feel firm, round, and plump, it may be safely concluded that he is well fed both externally and internally, — that is, both in flesh and tallow.

2. A bunch or part projecting like the hip.
3. (Geordie, derogatory) A homosexual man.
   • 2001 March 29, denislindridge [username], “Promotion”, in uk.sport.horseracing‎ (Usenet):

     When moving into our present dwelling some 6 months ago..the puchase^[sic] of a new bed was of primary importance.The puchase^[sic] was completed by a right huckle who didn`t realise the importance of the "squeek"^[sic] factor in the purchase of such an item.

   • 2002, “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”, in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet:

     He’s not! He can’t be! There's never been a huckle in the Osbourne family, and we can trace our lineage all the way back to the Second World War.

   • 2003 December 12, Finchy [username], “Re: Gay bars / Meatloaf - Re: SAFC - Hartlepool”, in alt.sports.soccer.sunderland‎ (Usenet):

     Sorry !
     Only into birds.
     Why not get yourself along to the SOL. Plenty of huckles there.

• huckle bone

huckle (third-person singular simple present huckles, present participle huckling, simple past and past participle huckled)

1. (Scotland) To apprehend or arrest.
   • 2013, Michael Munro, The Crack: The Best of Glasgow Humour:

     He was awakened by a couple of burly police officers and huckled out to a waiting van.

   • 2014, Brian Conaghan, When Mr Dog Bites:

     Then one day when I was at school, police with motorbike helmets came to the door with a big red battering ram and dragged Dad out of his bed while he was sleeping off a massive booze binge and huckled him downtown to read him his rights, throw the damn book at him and charge him for 'aggravated armed robbery'.

   • 2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 282:

     I could huckle your right now for what you've got in that top drawer.

huckle n

1. a (simpler) headscarf in the form of a shawl

• huvudduk

• huckle in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• huckle in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• huckle in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)