prickly

adj 1: very irritable; "bristly exchanges between the White House

and the press"; "he became prickly and spiteful";

"witty and waspish about his colleagues" [syn: {bristly},

{splenetic}, {waspish}]

2: having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines

or thorns etc.; "a horse with a short bristly mane";

"bristly shrubs"; "burred fruits" [syn: {barbed}, {barbellate},

{briary}, {briery}, {bristled}, {bristly}, {burred}, {burry},

{spiny}, {thorny}]