Definition

Noun: 1. A small, nocturnal mammal native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, characterized by a coat of stiff, sharp spines used for protection. It is an insectivore, feeding primarily on insects and other small invertebrates. 2. (By extension, chiefly North American) Any of various small, spiny mammals, such as certain porcupines or tenrecs, though this usage is less precise and often informal. 3. (Figurative) A defensive military formation or fortification, or a person who is difficult to approach or deal with.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Animal):
  • The hedgehog curled into a tight ball when it sensed danger.
  • We often see a hedgehog in the garden at dusk, searching for slugs and beetles.
• Noun (Figurative/Other):
  • The battalion formed a defensive hedgehog to repel the attack from all sides. (Military)
  • He can be a bit of a hedgehog when he's stressed—prickly and unapproachable. (Informal, describing a person)

Advanced Usage

• "To curl up like a hedgehog": To assume a defensive or withdrawn posture, both physically and emotionally.
  • Faced with criticism, she just curled up like a hedgehog and refused to speak.
• "Hedgehog's dilemma": A metaphor about the challenges of human intimacy, suggesting that people, like hedgehogs seeking warmth, must get close but risk hurting each other in the process.
  • Their relationship is a classic example of the hedgehog's dilemma.

Variants and Related Words

• Hedgehogging (informal, rare as a gerund): The act of being defensive or prickly.
• Hedgehog cactus: A type of cylindrical cactus with spiny stems.
• Hedgehog fungus: A type of mushroom with spiny, tooth-like projections under its cap.

Synonyms

• Urchin (archaic or poetic, as in "sea urchin" for the spiny marine animal; "hedgehog" was once called a "hedge-urchin").
• Pricklepig (a rare, non-scientific synonym).
• (For the figurative military sense) Defensive perimeter, strongpoint.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• As prickly as a hedgehog: Describing someone who is easily irritated or difficult to deal with.
  • Don't ask him about the report today; he's as prickly as a hedgehog.
• Hedgehog concept: A business strategy concept from Jim Collins's book , stating that a company should focus on the one thing it can be the best in the world at (simplifying complexity like the hedgehog's one defense: rolling into a spiny ball).
  • The company's success is built on a clear hedgehog concept.

Noun

1. small nocturnal Old World mammal covered with both hair and protective spines
2. relatively large rodents with sharp erectile bristles mingled with the fur