hassle

English

WOTD – 20 August 2009

Etymology

Unknown. Probably from US Southern dialectal hassle (“to pant, breathe noisily”), possibly from haste ‎ -le (frequentative suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhæsl̩/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æsəl

Noun

hassle (plural hassles)

1. Trouble, bother, unwanted annoyances or problems.

   I went through a lot of hassle to be the first to get a ticket.

2. A fight or argument.
3. An action which is not worth the difficulty involved.

Derived terms

• hassle-free, hasslefree

Translations

trouble, bother, unwanted annoyances or problems

• Bulgarian: неприятност (bg) f (neprijatnost), проблем (bg) m (problem)
• Czech: potíže f pl, nepříjemnosti f pl
• Danish: besvær (da) n, bøvl n, mas n
• Finnish: sählinki (fi), sähläys
• French: tracas (fr), peine (fr)
• German: Ärger (de) m
• Italian: inconveniente (it) m, problema (it) m
• Norwegian: styr (no) n
• Persian: دردسر (fa) (dardesar)
• Polish: kłopot (pl) m, problem (pl) m
• Russian: барье́р (ru) m (barʹjér), прегра́да (ru) f (pregráda), поме́ха (ru) f (poméxa), препя́тствие (ru) n (prepjátstvije), тру́дность (ru) f (trúdnostʹ), (informal) моро́ка (ru) f (moróka), (informal) геморро́й (ru) f (gemorrój), нервотрёпка (ru) f (nervotrjópka)
• Spanish: lío (es) m, apuro (es) m, tropiezo (es) m, fastidio (es) m
• Swedish: besvär (sv), krångel (sv) n

fight or argument

• Bulgarian: спор (bg) m (spor), караница (bg) f (karanica)
• Danish: skænderi (da) n, slagsmål (da) n
• Finnish: riita (fi), kina (fi)
• French: dispute (fr), lutte (fr)
• German: Streit (de) m, Zank (de) m
• Polish: kłótnia (pl) f
• Russian: ссо́ра (ru) f (ssóra)
• Spanish: jaleo (es) m, bronca (es) f, pelea (es) f, riña (es) f

action which is not worth the difficulty involved

• Czech: potíže f pl, nepříjemnosti f pl
• Dutch: poeha (nl) m or n
• German: Mühe (de) f
• Spanish: molestia (es) f, complicación f

Verb

hassle (third-person singular simple present hassles, present participle hassling, simple past and past participle hassled)

1. (transitive) To trouble, to bother, to annoy.

   Synonyms: disturb, irritate, molest; see also Thesaurus:annoy

   The unlucky boy was hassled by a gang of troublemakers on his way home.

   • 1969, Beard & Kennedy, Bored of the Rings, page 42:

     "Oh uncool bush! Unloose this passle Of furry cats that you hassle!"

2. (transitive) To pick a fight or start an argument with.

   Synonyms: look for trouble, pick a quarrel

3. (transitive) To work through something troublesome; to be bothered by.

   Synonym: grind

   If you don't want to hassle through converting formats, you'll have to stick with one program.

4. (military, aviation, slang) To engage in a mock dogfight.
   • 2018, Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff:

     Likewise, “hassling”—mock dogfighting—was strictly forbidden, and so naturally young fighter jocks could hardly wait to go up in, say, a pair of F–100s and start the duel by making a pass at each other at 800 miles an hour, […]

   • 2019, Dan Pedersen, Topgun:

     If you were caught 'hassling,' as we called dogfighting, your career could end. The edict against dogfighting divided our squadron into three factions.

Translations

To trouble, to bother, to annoy

• Bulgarian: дразня (bg) (draznja), безпокоя (bg) (bezpokoja)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 騷攪／骚搅 (zh) (sāojiǎo)

• Danish: chikanere (da), genere (da), plage (da)
• Finnish: kiusata (fi)
• French: harceler (fr)
• German: ärgern (de), nerven (de), plagen (de)
• Hindi: तंग करना (taṅg karnā), सिर खाना (sir khānā)
• Maori: hawene, whakatōwenewene, whakahōhā, whakangari
• Portuguese: incomodar (pt), aborrecer (pt)
• Russian: донима́ть (ru) (donimátʹ), надоеда́ть (ru) (nadojedátʹ), докуча́ть (ru) (dokučátʹ), (colloquial) напряга́ть (ru) (naprjagátʹ), (colloquial) достава́ть (ru) (dostavátʹ)
• Spanish: molestar (es), fastidiar (es), fregar (es), aperrear (es)

To pick a fight or start an argument

• Bulgarian: карам се (karam se), споря (bg) (sporja)
• Finnish: kiusata (fi)
• French: provoquer (fr)
• German: provozieren (de)
• Polish: zadzierać (pl) impf, zadrzeć (pl) pf
• Russian: спо́рить (ru) (spóritʹ), ссо́риться (ru) (ssóritʹsja)
• Spanish: provocar (es)

Adjective

hassle (comparative more hassle, superlative most hassle)

1. (Philippines) hassling; hasslesome

References

• “hassle”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Hassel, Lashes, halses, lashes, selahs, shales, sheals