hedgehog
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.a small, brown animal with sharp spikes on its back that lives in gardens and woods.
n.a small insectivorous mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, characterized by a coat of stiff spines and the ability to roll into a ball for defense.
Simple“We left some water in the garden for the hedgehog that visits at night.”
In context“The hedgehog is a nocturnal creature that relies on its sharp quills to deter predators like badgers and foxes.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
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.
Simple“The beach was lined with steel hedgehogs to prevent an invasion.”
In context“During the coastal defense preparations, engineers deployed rows of steel hedgehogs to obstruct the movement of enemy armored vehicles.”
Synonymsczech hedgehog - 03 C2 Proficiency
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.
Simple“He is a total hedgehog; he relates every political event back to his one theory.”
In context“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.”
UsageOften contrasted with 'the fox' in intellectual contexts.
Antonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
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.
Simple“She made a cheese and pineapple hedgehog for the children's birthday party.”
In context“The retro-themed party featured a classic cocktail hedgehog made from a grapefruit and various skewered appetizers.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
v.to pull your body into a tight ball to protect yourself.
v.to assume a defensive, curled position resembling that of a hedgehog.
Simple“The frightened child tried to hedgehog under the blankets.”
In context“When confronted with the aggressive questioning, the witness seemed to hedgehog, offering only minimal, defensive responses.”
Synonymscurl uphuddle
From Middle English heyghoge; equivalent to hedge + hog. Eclipsed non-native Middle English yrchoun, irchoun (“hedgehog”), from Old French hirchoun, herichon (“hedgehog”); and displaced earlier Middle English il, from Old English īl, iġil (“hedgehog”). In the philosophical sense, from the 1953 essay The Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaiah Berlin. Compare typologically Korean 고슴도치 (goseumdochi) (<<+ Middle Korean 돝 (twoth, “pig, swine”)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.