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Glite Dictionary
pickin' and grinnin'

pickin' and grinnin'

9.9
People play music and smile together in a happy, relaxed way
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : disfrutar
  • After dinner, everyone gathered on the porch and started pickin' and grinnin' while sharing stories and music.

Examples

  • The bluegrass band loves pickin' and grinnin' at local festivals every summer.

  • There was plenty of pickin' and grinnin' going on during the family reunion.

  • After dinner, everyone gathered on the porch and started pickin' and grinnin' until midnight.

  • They were pickin' and grinnin' all night long!

  • At the party, everyone was pickin' and grinnin' together.

  • The bluegrass band loves pickin' and grinnin' at local festivals, bringing joy to the crowd.

  • There was plenty of pickin' and grinnin' going on during the family reunion, filling the air with laughter.

Synonyms

to get one's groove on
vspickin' and grinnin'
  • Informal
6 8.6

Enjoy yourself by dancing with a lot of energy

is more about playful music making than dancing with rhythmic motion
to kick up one's heels
vspickin' and grinnin'
  • Informal
3 7.2

To have fun and forget your worries

is more about playful music playing than general party celebration
to whoop it up
vspickin' and grinnin'
  • Informal
3 8.8

To celebrate loudly with cheering and noisy fun

is more playful and music centered rather than loud noisy celebration
burnin'
vspickin' and grinnin'
  • Slang
3 9.9

Having strong energy and excitement, as in a music performance

is more playful and relaxed while enjoying music rather than intense
rollicking
vspickin' and grinnin'
2 6.0

Lively and full of fun, making people laugh

is specifically joyful music playing with a playful spirit rather than general exuberance

Antonyms

sorrow
243 2.1

A deep feeling of sadness after a loss

discontent
49 5.1

A feeling of not being satisfied with the present situation

How Joyful

beaming
2.5
to laugh
∞ 1.0
pickin' and grinnin'
  • Informal
9.9
grin
139 1.0
to smile
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

pickin' and grinnin' main

Morphology

pickin' + and + grinnin'

The meaning — playing/’picking’ music while smiling/enjoying oneself — is directly compositional from 'pickin\'' (plucking/playing) + 'grinnin\'' (grinning/smiling), with 'and' linking the two activities. Although colloquial in form, the semantics are literal and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would grasp the phrase.

Etymology

Pickin' and grinnin' may come from music gatherings where people were literally pickin', playing guitars or banjos, and grinnin', smiling and laughing. That's why the phrase means 'enjoying oneself', especially while playing music.