What does codding mean?
"Codding" is the present participle and gerund of the informal British verb "cod," which means to tease, fool, or playfully hoax someone. When people say they were "only codding" you, they mean the deception was a harmless joke, not a serious lie — the tone is affectionate banter among friends rather than malice. The word is chiefly at home in British and Irish colloquial speech and sounds distinctly informal, even old-fashioned in some contexts. A much rarer, largely historical sense refers to the activity of catching cod as a fisherman's trade, but today almost anyone using "codding" means the teasing sense. It should not be confused with "coddling," which comes from an entirely different verb and means pampering someone or gently cooking eggs. For learners of British English, recognizing "codding" is useful because it appears often in casual conversation, comedy, and dialogue where one person is winding up another.
To tease, fool, or hoax someone in a playful way.
"You're codding me — there's no way you met the Queen."
Informal; chiefly British and Irish English.
To catch cod, especially as a commercial or sporting activity.
"The trawlermen were out codding on the Grand Banks before dawn."
Now rare; mostly historical or regional.
In Britain, if a mate says he's 'only codding' you, he's admitting the joke was on you all along — no actual fish involved.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of codding
As a form of the verb "cod," the word belongs to British slang of uncertain early history; the verb emerged in the nineteenth century and likely draws on the noun "cod," which since Middle English has meant both the fish and, by extension, a bag or sack — a connection some etymologists link to the idea of trickery or mockery, though the precise development is debated. The fishing sense simply derives from the fish name itself.
Related word forms
How codding is actually used
Informal and colloquial, heard mainly in British and Irish English; it carries a light-hearted, bantering connotation rather than a malicious one. The fishing sense is now rare compared with the teasing sense.
Easily confused with codding
Coddling means treating someone indulgently or cooking eggs gently (from 'coddle'), whereas codding means playfully fooling or teasing someone.