canoodling vs caress

canoodling

noun
  • amorous pettings or caresses 

caress

noun
  • An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. 

  • A gentle stroking or rubbing. 

verb
  • To touch or kiss lovingly; to fondle. 

  • To affect as if with a caress. 

How often have the words canoodling and caress occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )