Sustained noise, as from hammering: “Hark that reeling, now, you'll wake the baby!” (Anonymous).
REGIONAL NOTE In the granite quarries of Maine, stones for paving were once shaped by men using small hammers called reels. Crews of 30 men at a time would use these hammers. The resulting “shattering noise as the pieces of the granite were shaped… gave Mainers a word for any sustained hubbub—reelin'” (John Gould). Reeling can denote noise made by humans as well: She told the children to hush their reeling.
