whiskery

English

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

From whisker +‎ -y.

Adjective

whiskery (comparative more whiskery, superlative most whiskery)

1. Having whiskers.
   • 1846 February 28 – 1847 February 27, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “Snobs and Marriage”, in The Book of Snobs, London: Punch Office, […], published 1848, →OCLC, pages 129-130:

     [T]he old lady is as ugly as any woman in the parish, and as tall and whiskery as a Grenadier.

   • 1902 October, Jack London, chapter XX, in A Daughter of the Snows, Philadelphia, Pa.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC, page 209:

     "Don't you my-dear me," she sniffed. "I don't like you." / "Why?" / "Cos …" She ladled the punch carefully into the mugs and meditated. "Cos you chew tobacco. Cos you're whiskery. Wot I take to is smooth-faced young chaps."

   • 1966, Truman Capote, “Chapter 2”, in In Cold Blood‎^[1], New York: Modern Library, published 1992, page 179:

     At a corner table two whiskery ranch hands were playing checkers.

   • 2008, Sebastian Barry, The Secret Scripture‎^[2], London: Faber & Faber, Part One, Chapter Eight, page 81:

     I looked at Dr Grene and tried to imagine him altered by the moon, more whiskery, a werewolf possibly.

2. Having protrusions resembling whiskers.
   • 1962, Edward Abbey, “Chapter 2”, in Fire on the Mountain‎^[3], Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, published 1978, page 73:

     Smiling, he gave us a salute, turned his horse and rode down the trail, through the high hairy weeds and whiskery flowers thriving among the rocks and faded ruts of the road.

   • 2005, Martha L Crump, Alan Crump, Headless males make great lovers:

     The whiskery batfish (a kind of anglerfish) is covered with outgrowths of skin that resemble bits of seaweed.

3. Resembling whiskers.
   • 1929, Henry Handel Richardson, Ultima Thule‎^[4], New York: Norton, Part One, Chapter 7, page 72:

     […] all the white trees, tall like poles, that went up and up to where, right at the top, among whiskery branches, were bits of blue that were the sky.

   • 1981, Wendy Simons, chapter 20, in Odd Woman Out‎^[5], New York: St. Martin’s Press, page 184:

     He nodded his head toward an ancient armchair spewing out its whiskery stuffing.

   • 2017 April 3, Stephanie Zacharek, “In Life, the blob from Mars is small and very scary”, in Time:

     At first, all he sees is a harmless-looking blob, a microscopic single-cell organism sporting a couple of whiskery flagella.

4. Involving or caused by whiskers.
   • 1997 June 26, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], chapter 1, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter; 1), London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:

     He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss.

   • 2002, Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex, New York: Picador, Book Three, “Flesh and Blood,” p. 373,^[6]

     Despite my lightheadedness, I could feel everything. The shocking wetness of his mouth. The whiskery feel of his lips. His barging tongue.

5. (UK, humorous) Old.
   • 2001, Peter Mayle, “The Inner Frenchman”, in French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew‎^[7], New York: Knopf, page 8:

     It is, of course, the most whiskery old cliché, but clichés usually have their basis in fact, and this one certainly does: Historically, the French have paid extraordinary—some would say excessive—attention to what they eat and how they eat it.

   • 2009 January 14, Simon Hoggart, “Simon Hoggart’s Sketch: Short-selling sermons as God takes on Mammon”, in The Guardian‎^[8]:

     I checked it out, and there were some good—if whiskery—stories.

Synonyms

• (having whiskers): bewhiskered, whiskered

Etymology 2

From whiskey/whisky +‎ -ery.

Noun

whiskery (plural whiskeries)

1. (rare) A whiskey distillery.
   • 1915 June 10, Parliamentary Debates, published 1917, page 3925:

     […] where the house of God was hidden by whiskeries, wineries, and breweries that were built against it.

   • 1968, Bob Davis, The Dingle War, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., page 1:

     Even today, Devin’s story is told and retold in the local whiskeries and his critics secretly wish he would come swaggering back with another bombastic plan to enhance their wealth.

   • 1976 November 11, Daily News, volume 58, number 119, New York, N.Y., page 4:

     Long synonomous^[sic] with top-drawer talent, first-rate eateries, top-shelf whiskeries, Our Town has worn the crunchy fruit like a medal.

   • 2008, V!VA Travel Guides Colombia, Viva Publishing Network, →ISBN, page 193:

     Honda still has the reputation of being overrun by whiskeries and brothels.