Giggling, wriggling gal in hug (8)
I believe the answer is:
laughing
'giggling' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both related to bodily activities as well as being present participle verbs.
Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?
'wriggling gal in hug' is the wordplay.
'wriggling' indicates an anagram (letters wriggle or move about).
'gal'+'in'+'hug'='galinhug'
'galinhug' anagrammed gives 'LAUGHING'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for laughing that I've seen before include "Expressing mirth" , "Reacting to comedy" , "Expressing loud amusement" , "Kookaburra" , "Showing mirth" .)