hedgehog

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Military Technical

n. a large metal defense made of three beams, used to stop tanks or boats.

n. a static anti-tank defense obstacle, typically constructed from three steel angle beams welded together to form a spiked tripod.

“The beach was lined with steel hedgehogs to prevent an invasion.”

“During the coastal defense preparations, engineers deployed rows of steel hedgehogs to obstruct the movement of enemy armored vehicles.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Academic

n. a person who views the world through one single, big idea.

n. a thinker who views the world through the lens of a single, overarching organizing principle or definitive vision.

“He is a total hedgehog; he relates every political event back to his one theory.”

“In his famous essay, Isaiah Berlin divided thinkers into two categories: the foxes, who know many things, and the hedgehogs, who know one big thing.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Cooking British English

n. a way of serving snacks by sticking small sticks of food into a fruit or vegetable.

n. a method of serving hors d'oeuvres where cocktail sticks are inserted into a base, such as a melon, to resemble a hedgehog.

“She made a cheese and pineapple hedgehog for the children's birthday party.”

“The retro-themed party featured a classic cocktail hedgehog made from a grapefruit and various skewered appetizers.”

C1 · Advanced Literary

v. to pull your body into a tight ball to protect yourself.

v. to assume a defensive, curled position resembling that of a hedgehog.

“The frightened child tried to hedgehog under the blankets.”

“When confronted with the aggressive questioning, the witness seemed to hedgehog, offering only minimal, defensive responses.”