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Glite Dictionary
wire-haired terrier

wire-haired terrier

3.9
A small dog with rough, stiff hair
  • noun
  • /ˈwaɪərˌhɛrd ˈtɛriər/
translation icon : terrier de pelo duro
  • She adopted a playful wire-haired terrier, which quickly became the family's favorite pet.

Examples

  • He imagined their living together; he imagined their children; he even imagined their dog (a wire-haired terrier named Bernie).

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Pansy, the little curly-haired dog she kept, a cross between a poodle and a wire-haired terrier, had taken refuge under the couch and, looking at Alta with brown eyes that seemed full of the light of tragedy, still refused to come out.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Well, it might have been a wire-haired terrier, Detective.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • We held each other, pulled each other half off her couch, laughing at some movie about a high-class detective with a wire-haired terrier.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The wire-haired terrier is known for its energetic personality and distinctive coat.

  • During the dog show, the judge praised the wire-haired terrier for its unique texture and grooming.

Synonyms

wirehair
vswire-haired terrier
1 8.1

A dog, often a terrier, with short stiff hair

is limited to a specific dog type rather than any dog with that coat
wirehaired terrier
vswire-haired terrier
6.1

A small dog with a rough, stiff coat of hair

is a general type of dog defined by a harsh wiry coat

Surface Forms

wire-haired terrier singular
wire-haired terriers plural

Morphology

wire-haired + terrier

The meaning 'a type of terrier with a harsh, wiry coat' is directly and compositionally derived from 'wire-haired' (having stiff, coarse hair) plus 'terrier' (a small energetic dog). This adjective+noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Wire-haired terrier comes from its rough, stiff coat; wire-haired means hair that feels like wire. The word terrier came from dogs that worked in the ground to catch small animals, so the full name describes a 'terrier' with 'wire-like' hair.