Cryptic crossword clue
He would say “Back, swine!”, being a prickly character 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word HEDGEHOG

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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "a prickly character!" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a prickly character! = hedgehog.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does HEDGEHOG mean?

HEDGEHOG noun
  1. A small mammal, of the family Erinaceidae or subfamily Erinaceinae (spiny hedgehog, the latter characterized by their spiny back and often by the habit of rolling up into a ball when attacked.)
  2. Any of several spiny mammals, such as the porcupine, that are similar to the hedgehog.
  3. A type of moveable military barricade made from crossed logs or steel bars, laced with barbed wire, used to damage or impede tanks and vehicles; Czech hedgehog.
  4. A spigot mortar-type of depth charge weapon from World War II that simultaneously fires a number of explosives into the water to create a pattern of underwater explosions intended to attack submerged submarines.
  5. A type of chocolate cake (or slice), somewhat similar to an American brownie.
  6. A form of dredging machine.
  7. Certain flowering plants with parts resembling a member of family Erinaceidae
  8. The edible fungus Hydnum repandum.
  9. A kind of electrical transformer with open magnetic circuit, the ends of the iron wire core being turned outward and presenting a bristling appearance.
  10. A way of serving food at a party, consisting of a half melon or potato etc. with individual cocktail sticks of cheese and pineapple stuck into it.
HEDGEHOG verb
  1. To make use of a hedgehog barricade as a defensive maneuver.
  2. To array with spiky projections like the quills of a hedgehog.
  3. To curl up into a defensive ball.

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