needle
noun
[ ˈniːd(ə)l ]
• a very fine slender piece of polished metal with a point at one end and a hole or eye for thread at the other, used in sewing.
• "a darning needle"
• the pointed hollow end of a hypodermic syringe.
• a thin pointer on a dial, compass, or other instrument.
• "the meter needle barely moved"
• a stylus used to play records.
• "she wound the gramophone and lowered the needle on to the record"
• the sharp, stiff, slender leaf of a fir or pine tree.
• a pointed rock or peak.
• "just left of the needle is a steep wall for those who like bold climbing"
• hostility or antagonism provoked by rivalry.
• "there is already a little bit of needle between the sides"
• a beam used as a temporary support during underpinning.
needle
verb
• prick or pierce with or as if with a needle.
• "dust needled his eyes"
• provoke or annoy (someone) by continual criticism or questioning.
• "I just said that to Charlie to needle him"
Similar:
goad,
provoke,
bait,
taunt,
pester,
harass,
prick,
prod,
sting,
irritate,
annoy,
anger,
vex,
irk,
nettle,
pique,
exasperate,
infuriate,
get on someone's nerves,
rub up the wrong way,
get/put someone's back up,
ruffle someone's feathers,
try someone's patience,
aggravate,
rile,
niggle,
get in someone's hair,
hassle,
get to,
bug,
miff,
peeve,
get under someone's skin,
hack off,
wind up,
get at,
nark,
get across,
get up someone's nose,
ride,
rark,
exacerbate,
hump,
rasp,
piss off,
Origin:
Old English nǣdl, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch naald and German Nadel, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin nere ‘to spin’ and Greek nēma ‘thread’.
