grabbling
Searching by touch
Grabbling is feeling around with your hands, groping or grasping at something you can't quite see or reach: She went grabbling through her purse for the keys.
In some American dialects, grabbling specifically means catching catfish by hand—reaching into underwater holes and grabbing the fish directly.
The word suggests blind, fumbling searching rather than precise handling.
Barbeled freshwater bottom-feeder
- noodlingCasual musical improvisation
- handfishingCatching fish barehanded
- hoggingTaking more than fair
- stumpingCampaigning for office
tickling · flathead · mudcat · channel cat · catfishing · barehanded · riverbank · hole
Appendages of the hand
- handsGripping limbs' extremities
- gripSecure manual hold
- graspSeize or understand
- fumbleHandle with clumsy fingers
grope · clutch · feel · probe · reach · touch · palms · clasp
Obscured by silt
- murkyDark and unclear
- siltWaterborne earth particles
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
- riverbedFloor beneath flowing water
underwater · submerged · holes · crevices · logs · banks · roots · dark
Sovereign state or territory
- southernToward the sunbelt
- AppalachianEastern U.S. mountain region
- OzarkSouth-central American highlands
- pastoralOf countryside or clergy care
rustic · folk · tradition · heritage · customs · regional · countryside · homestead
Exposure to harm
- bitesCuts with teeth
- snapping turtleFierce aquatic chelonian
- water moccasinSemiaquatic venomous American snake
- cottonmouthVenomous semiaquatic pit viper
injury · hazard · wildlife · caution · brave · daring · nerve · reckless
catfish
Barbeled freshwater bottom-feeder
- noodlingCasual musical improvisation
- handfishingCatching fish barehanded
- hoggingTaking more than fair
stumping · tickling · flathead · mudcat · channel cat · catfishing · barehanded · riverbank · hole · den
fingers
Appendages of the hand
fumble · grope · clutch · feel · probe · reach · touch · palms · clasp · squeeze
muddy
Obscured by silt
riverbed · underwater · submerged · holes · crevices · logs · banks · roots · dark · concealed
country
Sovereign state or territory
- southernToward the sunbelt
- AppalachianEastern U.S. mountain region
- OzarkSouth-central American highlands
pastoral · rustic · folk · tradition · heritage · customs · regional · countryside · homestead · backcountry
danger
Exposure to harm
- bitesCuts with teeth
- snapping turtleFierce aquatic chelonian
- water moccasinSemiaquatic venomous American snake
cottonmouth · injury · hazard · wildlife · caution · brave · daring · nerve · reckless · adrenaline
grabblingleaving alone
Ceasing to disturb
ignoring · releasing · letting go · avoiding · abandoning
grabbed, grabbing, grappling, grabber, grappled, grappler, grabbers, grapplers, grapplings