noodling

American  

[nood-ling] / ˈnud lɪŋ /

verb

1. present participle of noodle.

   I learned the hard way why noodling for catfish is considered dangerous.

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noun

1. the act of catching fish, especially catfish, with only one’s bare hands.

   Some states have banned noodling, citing the dangers of the activity as well as concern over sustainability of the fish populations.

noodling British  

/ ˈnuːdlɪŋ /

noun

1. slang aimless musical improvisation

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Etymology

Origin of noodling

First recorded in 1935–40; noodl(e) ⁴ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

As the technology becomes so cheap that anyone can use it, we may become deluged by a wave of low-quality noodling.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

As the mood shifts, a noodling electric guitar kicks in and the gang unconsciously assembles into poses that could be on a grunge album cover.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2024

Purportedly about a dismal romantic engagement with John Mayer, it is produced in the style of Mayer, dressed liberally with blues guitar noodling.

From New York Times • Jul. 4, 2023

Thomas Schelling, a well-connected Harvard economist and White House adviser, was on a plane bound for Boston when he started noodling with Xs and Os moving along a line.

From New York Times • May 8, 2023

Kyle could tell they were already noodling out numbers.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein