heckler

See also: Heckler

English

Etymology

From heckle +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

heckler (plural hecklers)

1. One who heckles; somebody who insults, makes fun of, or teases.

   The juggler always seemed to have a heckler or two in the crowd on Saturdays.

   • 2010, Stewart Lee, How I Escaped My Certain Fate, page 323:

     Scott, who runs the Classic and promotes me here, said I was wrong about the heckler being the alpha male of the sport fan group. He said the alpha male would have money, cars, women and be silent. The heckler was a kind of delta male, the jester to the king alpha male. He would spend his life in the orbit of power, trailing it, circling it, but never achieving it.

2. (US, military, slang) An aircraft flying attack missions at night.
   • 1949, Walter Karig, Battle Report:

     […] the usual gap between the time the last strike of the day departed and the first night hecklers arrived was closed with "zippers" — night fighters who, using day fighter tactics, proceeded to the target in daylight in time to relieve the last day blanket patrol.

3. Alternative form of hackler (“worker who separates flax”)

Related terms

• heckler's veto

Translations

one who heckles, insults, makes fun of, or teases

• Czech: výtržník (cs) m, provokatér (cs) m
• Dutch: spotter (nl) m
• German: Zwischenrufer (de) m, Störer (de) m, Necker m, Schelm (de) m, Fopper m
• Polish: krzykacz (pl) m, krzykaczka f
• Spanish: abucheante m or f, abroncante m or f, silbador (es) m, chuflante m or f, rechiflante m or f