1570s, "spiny, armed with prickles" (originally of holly leaves), from prickle (n.) + -y (2). Figurative sense of "irritable" first recorded 1862. Prickly heat is from 1736, so called for the sensation; prickly pear is from 1760 (earlier prickle pear, 1610s). Related: Prickliness.
权威例句
1. The bunk mattress was hard, the blankets prickly and slightly damp.
这个铺位的床垫很硬,毯子也很扎人,而且还有点潮。
2. The issue is likely to prove a prickly one.
这个问题有可能很棘手。
3. You know how prickly she is.
你知道她有多么爱发脾气。
4. The grass was prickly and cold.
草地扎人,而且很凉。
5. Let's move on to the prickly subject of taxation reform.