canoodle

English

Etymology

Origin unknown; compare Swedish knulla (“to fornicate”), German knuddeln (“to cuddle”). Folk etymology cites the use of two-person canoes as an activity to escape the presence of a chaperon by couples during Victorian and Edwardian times, and the activities such privacy allowed.

Pronunciation

Audio (US):

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Verb

1. To caress, pet, touch up, or make love.

   He’s got a big smile on his face; who’s he been canoodling recently?

   • 2014 June 26, A. A. Dowd, “Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler Spoof Rom-com Clichés in They Came Together”, in The A.V. Club‎^[1], archived from the original on 7 December 2017:

     As Norah Jones coos sweet nothings on the soundtrack, the happy couple—played by Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler—canoodle through a Manhattan montage, making pasta for two, swimming through a pile of autumn leaves, and horsing around at a fruit stand.

2. To cajole or persuade.
   • 1900, Charles Felton Pidgin, Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks - A Picture of New England Home Life:

     He canoodled my husband into believin' that the end of the world was comin' and it was his duty to give all his property away.

Translations

To caress, pet, touch up, or make love

• Bulgarian: прегръщам (bg) (pregrǎštam), галя (bg) (galja)
• Finnish: halailla (fi), lemmiskellä (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: sbaciucchiare (it), sbaciucchiarsi, scambiarsi effusioni, pomiciare

Noun

canoodle (plural canoodles)

1. A cuddle, hug, or caress

See also

• kanoodle