# pickin' and grinnin'

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/pickin-and-grinnin
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Vigorous playing of folk or country music on a stringed musical instrument, especially the guitar or banjo, while smiling broadly.

## Examples

- They sit on the porch pickin' and grinnin' all afternoon.
- Every Saturday, the local musicians gather at the park for some pickin' and grinnin' to entertain the neighborhood.
- The old men gathered around the campfire, pickin' and grinnin' until the early hours of the morning, their joy evident in every strum of the banjo.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.