early 14c., "to comb (flax or hemp) with a heckle;" from heckle (n.) or from related Middle Dutch hekelen. Figurative meaning "to question severely in a bid to uncover weakness" is from late 18c. "Long applied in Scotland to the public questioning of parliamentary candidates" [OED]. Related: Heckled; heckling.
heckle (n.)
"flax comb," c. 1300, hechel, perhaps from an unrecorded Old English *hecel or a cognate Germanic word (such as Middle High German hechel, Middle Dutch hekel), from Proto-Germanic *hakila-, from PIE *keg- "hook, tooth" (see hook (n.)).
例文
1. The offending comment was in fact a heckle from an audience member.
という失礼な言葉は、実際には観客の詰みだった。
2.A small group of youths stayed behind to heckle and shout abuse.
小さな若者たちが歩いておらず、野次馬や罵声を上げている。
3.He went to heckle at their meetings.
彼は彼らの会議に行って野次馬を飛ばした。
4.Europe has continued to haunt and heckle the American imagination.
ヨーロッパは長い間アメリカ人の心にしがみついていたので、不安でした。
5.The reporter wanted to heckle the candidate with those embarrassing questions.