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 he speaks, Wonder is noodling on the harpejji, the electric string instrument you’ve probably seen him play on TV on the Grammy Awards or “Dancing With the Stars.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2025

By age 3 he was noodling on piano keys and singing at services, with churchgoers sometimes hoisting him on a milk crate so the congregation could see him belting Aretha Franklin songs.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2023

The result is a lot of noodling around.

From New York Times • May 15, 2023

And now he’s doing a lot of noodling about what’s next.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 2, 2023

Not only was he noodling around in his mind the best ways to get a war going, he also had to constantly have affection shining from his eyes.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman