noodle
nounnounverbverbverbnounverbverbcommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom/[ˈnuː.dl̩]/
- Canada//ˈnu.dəl//
- Canada/[ˈnuː.dl̩]/
- Australia/[ˈnʉː.dl̩]/
A string or flat strip of pasta or other dough, usually cooked (at least initially) by boiling, and served in soup or in a dry form mixed with a sauce and other ingredients.
noun
- 1
A string or flat strip of pasta or other dough, usually cooked (at least initially) by boiling, and served in soup or in a dry form mixed with a sauce and other ingredients.
She slurped a long noodle up out of her soup.
She is cooking noodles for dinner.
He settled for the noodles and then after watching The Jungle Book twice on video it was time for beddy-bys.
One brought two boxes of instant mami noodles.
- 2
An object which is long and thin like a noodle (sense 1).
- 3
archaicA dumpling cooked by boiling and served in soup; a knaidel or knödel.
- 4
slangThe penis.
- 5
slangA long and slender dragon, usually an eastern dragon.
- 6
A borzoi dog.
- 7
Variant of pool noodleinformalAn object which is long and thin like a noodle (sense 1). Ellipsis of pool noodle (“a long, slender tube or rod, extruded from buoyant foam and usually brightly coloured, used as an exercise tool or toy in swimming pools”).
Etymology
Borrowed from Dutch noedel (“noodle”), or from its etymon German Nudel (“piece of pasta, noodle”); further etymology uncertain, probably a variant of Knödel (“dumpling”), from Middle High German knödel (“dumpling; small knot”), and then either: * from knode, knote (“knot”) (from Old High German knodo, knoto (“knot”), perhaps ultimately related to Proto-West Germanic *knappō (“knob; boy”)) + -el (diminutive suffix); or * from Ladin menùdli (“small dough dumpling in soup”), probably from Latin minutulus (“very small, tiny”) (in the sense of food chopped into small pieces), a diminutive of minūtus (“diminished; having been diminished”), the perfect passive participle of minuō (“to make smaller, diminish, lessen, reduce”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“little, small”). Cognates * French nouille, noudle, nudeln * Swedish nudel
noun
- 1
datedA person with poor judgment; a fool.
Laura told me the names of all the actors and actreſſes as they preſented themſelves; and, not contented vvith this, the ſatyrical baggage deſcrib'd their characters nicely, as they appeared. "This here (ſaid ſhe) is a noodle—That fellovv is a brute:[…]."
You vvrong me, noodle (boxes his ears). Novv then to the point.
[T]hou would'st fling thy cuckoldy steeple-hat one way, and that bloodthirsty long-sword another, and trip like the noodles of Hogs-Norton, when the pigs play on the organ.
[A] long and hopeless career in your profession, the chuckling grin of noodles, the sarcastic leer of the genuine political rogue— […] these were the penalties exacted for liberality of opinion at that period; and not only was there no pay, but there were many stripes.
- 2
informalThe brain; the head.
[W]hat appears to at first glance to be a thinking problem can be a problem with sight or hearing. […] There's nothing wrong with your noodle; it's your sensory equipment that needs a bit of help. Learn to compensate.
Etymology
The origin of the noun is uncertain; it is possibly a variant of noddle (“the head”). The verb is derived from the noun.
verb
- 1
informalTo fool or trick (someone).
- 2
informalTo engage in frivolous behavior; to fool around or waste time.
verb
- 1
informalTo hum or sing (a tune) at a low pitch or volume.
Etymology
Possibly either: * a blend of Shetland Scots nune (“to sing softly, croon, hum”) (from Danish nynne, Norwegian nuna, nynna (“to hum; to sing”), originally imitative) + English doodle (“to play the bagpipes”) (chiefly Scotland); or * from Norn (unattested), from Old Norse *grynta, from Proto-Germanic *grunnatjaną (“to grunt”), a frequentative of Proto-Germanic *grunnōną (“to grunt”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrun- (“to shout”) (and thus a doublet of grunt).
verb
- 1
informalTo play (a musical instrument or passage of music) or to sing (a passage of music) in an improvisatory or lighthearted manner; also, to play (a series of ornamental notes) on an instrument.
- 2
informalTo ponder or think about (something).
“Noodle that thought around for a while,” said Dr. Johnson to his Biblical Interpretations class.
- 3
informalTo play a musical instrument or to sing in an improvisatory or lighthearted manner; also, to play a series of ornamental notes on an instrument.
He has been noodling with that trumpet all afternoon, and every bit of it sounds awful.
[A]udible here and there / in the half-dark, members of an avian orchestra / are already softly noodling, limbering up for / an overture at sunrise, […]
We’ve learned the prospective danger of Macca [Paul McCartney] noodling around in the studio from McCartney III’s predecessors—“Wonderful Christmastime” came out of the McCartney II sessions, after all.
- 4
informalTo ponder or think, especially in an unproductive or unsystematic manner; to muse.
He noodled over the problem for a day or two before making a decision.
- 5
informalTo attempt in an informal or uncertain manner; to fiddle.
If the machine is really broken, noodling with the knobs is not going to fix it.
- 6
informalOften followed by about or around: to mess around, to play.
Etymology
The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly derived: * from noodle (“to hum or sing (a tune) at a low pitch or volume”) (Shetland) (see etymology 3); or * from German nudeln (“to make music or sing listlessly; to make music or sing at a low pitch or volume, or in an improvisatory manner”) (Leipzig), apparently from Nudel (“piece of pasta, noodle”) (see etymology 1) + -n (a variant of -en (suffix forming the infinitives of verbs)). The word was probably also influenced by doodle (“to draw or scribble aimlessly”, verb). The noun is probably derived from the verb, though the verb is first attested later. The noun was probably also influenced by doodle (“small mindless sketch”, noun).
noun
- 1
informalAn improvised passage of music played on an instrument; also, a series of ornamental notes played on an instrument; a trill.
verb
- 1
informalTo search (mullock (“mining or ore processing waste”)) for opals.
- 2
informalTo obtain (an opal) by searching through mullock.
- 3
figurativeTo clear extraneous material from (an opal).
- 4
informalTo search mullock for opals; to fossick.
On the Olympic Field the tour-group is permitted to ‘noodle’ (hunt for opals) on the waste or mullock heaps […]
In Coober Pedy, noodling for opals is generally discouraged, although a few tourist spots, such as the Old Timers Mine, have noodle pits open to the public.
We learn how Lennon used to noodle (fossick) for opal as a kid, how camels were for a long time the only form of transportation, and where the name 'Coober Pedy' came from.
Etymology
Uncertain; possibly: * from noodle (“to fool or trick (someone)”) (obsolete) (see etymology 2); or * from nodule (“rounded mass or irregular shape”).
verb
- 1
informalTo catch (fish (usually very large catfish), turtles, or other aquatic animals) with the hands; also, to catch (fish) using a gaff or fishing spear; to gaff.
Fred had several lacerations on his hands from noodling flathead in the river.
Etymology
Unknown; perhaps related to guddle (“to catch (fish) with the hands”).
Forms
- plural
- noodles
- past tense
- noodled
- past participle
- noodled
- present participle
- noodling
- third person singular
- noodles
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