Heckles

Heckles (Mid. Eng. hekele, from the Dutch hekel, haak, 'a hook'; cf. Ger. haken; another English form is hackle) are very important parts of various machines employed in the preparation of animal and vegetable fibres for spinning. They consist of a series of long metallic teeth, through which the material is drawn, so that the fibres may be combed out straight and so fitted for the subsequent operations. Gills are heckles with finer teeth (see SPINNING).—Heckling is also now the received term (first used in Scotland) for the rough and trying process of catechisation to which parliamentary candidates and members are subjected by their constituents.