bristling

comparative more bristling · superlative most bristling

1. Having bristles.
2. Reacting with anger or indignation.

   Tottenham had hoped to make a statement of real intent against the title pace-setters and while manager Harry Redknapp did not secure the victory he craved, he at least saw his side match United every stride of the way in a game that fizzled out after a bristling start.

   2011 January 15, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham 0 - 0 Man Utd”, in BBC

3. UKdatedvideo gamesDressed in effective defensive equipment while not seeking a fight.

1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of bristle

plural bristlings

1. The act of one who bristles.

   When dogs fight, there are usually preliminaries to the actual combat — snarlings and bristlings and stiff-legged struttings. But White Fang learned to omit these preliminaries.

   1906 May–October, Jack London, White Fang, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 3 (The Gods of the Wild), pages 144–145

2. alternativeAlternative form of brisling.