Heckler

A heckler is a person who shouts an uninvited comment, usually disparaging, at a performance or event, or interrupting set-piece speeches, for example at a political meeting. A heckler is almost always regarded as unwelcome by the person with justifiable claim to be the centre of attention and the audience may also find the interruption an unwanted distraction, however they may sometimes find the interjection amusing or apposite.

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The term originates from the textile trade, where to heckle was to tease or comb out flax or hemp fibres. The additional meaning - to interrupt speakers with awkward or embarrassing questions - was added in Scotland, and specifically perhaps in early nineteenth century Dundee, a famously radical town where the hecklers who combed the flax had established a reputation as the most radical and stroppy element in the workforce. In the heckling factory, one heckler would read out the day's news while the others worked, to the accompaniment of interruptions and furious debate. http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1471886,00.html

Scotland: :For other uses, see Scotland (disambiguation). See also British Isles (terminology)....

Dundee: :For other uses see Dundee (disambiguation)...