the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
v. To pull; to haul; to tear; to worry.
n. A pulling; a disturbance.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
To tear or pull apart; rend.
To tease; comb.
To harass; worry; plague.
To pull about; handle roughly or carelessly; hence, to rumple; dishevel; tousle.
To bustle; exert one's self vigorously; struggle.
n. A pull; a haul; a seizure; a disturbance.
Word Usage
"That urgent query could be the search for a message within a short passage or a story, something to motivate the reader touse that message to better his day or week; an emotional catharsis which will lift his mood for days to come."