prick-eared

American  

[prik-eerd] / ˈprɪkˌɪərd /

adjective

1. having the ears upright and pointed.

   a prick-eared dog.

2. British.

   1. Informal. (of a man) having the hair cut short.

   2. Archaic. following or sympathetic to the Puritans or Roundheads.

   3. Archaic. priggish.

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Etymology

Origin of prick-eared

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

Example Sentences

A few years earlier, it was a group of Bedford, N.H., seventh-graders who brought a prick-eared, frizzy-coated breed known as the Chinook to the attention of that state’s legislature.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2012

As his voice shrilled and quavered, Carlo Formaggia caught his own name and turned back to listen, prick-eared.

From Earthwork out of Tuscany Being Impressions and Translations of Maurice Hewlett by Hewlett, Maurice Henry

Ginger, with head of flame, looking more bow-legged, prick-eared and pugnacious than ever, was a veritable pocket edition of the "Fighting Temeraire."

From The Sailor by Snaith, J. C.

The differences between the prick-eared Skye and the drop-eared are so slight, and the characteristics which they have in common are so many, that a dual classification was hardly necessary.

From Dogs and All about Them by Leighton, Robert

P. C. Robinson had revealed himself by many a covert glance and prick-eared movement.

From The Postmaster's Daughter by Tracy, Louis