# hedgehog

/ˈhɛdʒˌhɑɡ/ (US) · /hˈɛdʒhɒɡ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hedgehog
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. the animal

noun · CEFR B1

a small, brown animal with sharp spikes on its back that lives in gardens and woods.

For teachers: 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.

- We left some water in the garden for the hedgehog that visits at night.
- The hedgehog is a nocturnal creature that relies on its sharp quills to deter predators like badgers and foxes.

### 2. military obstacle

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

For teachers: 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.

### 3. philosophical archetype

noun · CEFR C2 · Academic

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

For teachers: 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.

Usage: Often contrasted with 'the fox' in intellectual contexts.

### 4. food presentation

noun · CEFR B2 · British English

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

For teachers: 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.

### 5. to curl up

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

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

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- A hedgehog is sleeping under the pile of leaves.
- The gardener left a small gap in the fence to allow the local hedgehog population to move between yards safely.
- While the fox knows many things, the hedgehog knows one big thing — a philosophical distinction often used to describe thinkers who view the world through a single, defining lens.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.