noodle1

[nood-l] /ˈnud l/
noun
1.
a narrow strip of unleavened egg dough that has been rolled thin and dried, boiled, and served alone or in soups, casseroles, etc.; a ribbon-shaped pasta.
Origin
1770-80; < German Nudel

noodle2

[nood-l] /ˈnud l/
noun
1.
Slang. the head.
2.
a fool or simpleton.
Origin
1745-55; perhaps variant of noddle (with oo from fool)

noodle3

[nood-l] /ˈnud l/
verb (used without object), noodled, noodling.
1.
to improvise a musical passage in a casual manner, especially as a warm-up exercise.
2.
Informal.
  1. to play; toy:
    to noodle with numbers as a hobby.
  2. to improvise, experiment, or think creatively:
    The writers noodled for a week and came up with a better idea for the ad campaign.
verb (used with object), noodled, noodling.
3.
Informal.
  1. to manipulate or tamper with:
    She denied that she had noodled the statistics to get a favorable result.
  2. to make or devise freely as an exercise or experiment (sometimes followed by up):
    The architects noodled up a model of a solar house.
Verb phrases
4.
noodle around, Informal. to play, experiment, or improvise.
Origin
1935-40, Americanism; origin uncertain
Examples from the web for noodle
  • Go beyond chicken noodle soup and minestrone with our collection of soup recipes.
  • My instructions are for a tagliatelle, a noodle rolled fairly thin that is about three-eighths of an inch thick.
  • Pea shoots appeared in soba-noodle sushi, and wilted garlic and kale with short ribs.
  • Boiled potatoes and green beans were served, along with a noodle soup and thick slices of buttered bread.
  • The smoky flavor of the grill adds a bit of umami to this vegetarian kebab and noodle dinner.
  • The fastest way to make homemade chicken noodle soup.
  • Round out the menu with edamame and spinach and noodle salads.
  • Soba is a kind of thin noodle made of buckwheat flour, served hot or cold.
  • We settled on a noodle shop and ordered tea and potatoes and sour buns.
  • Throughout the day, your noodle fills up with adenosine, a chemical thought to cause mental fatigue.
British Dictionary definitions for noodle

noodle1

/ˈnuːdəl/
noun
1.
(often pl) a ribbon-like strip of pasta: noodles are often served in soup or with a sauce
Word Origin
C18: from German Nudel, origin obscure

noodle2

/ˈnuːdəl/
noun
1.
(US & Canadian) a slang word for head (sense 1)
2.
a simpleton
Word Origin
C18: perhaps a blend of noddle1 and noodle1

noodle3

/ˈnuːdəl/
verb
1.
(intransitive) (slang) to improvise aimlessly on a musical instrument
Word Origin and History for noodle
n.

"narrow strip of dried dough," 1779, from German Nudel, which is of unknown origin. West Flemish noedel and French nouille are German loan-words. The older noun meaning "simpleton, stupid person" (1753) probably is an unrelated word, as is the slang word for "head" (attested from 1914).

v.

1937 (implied in noodling), from noun meaning "improvised music," 1926, probably from noodle (n.), on analogy of the suppleness of the food and that of the trills and improvised phrases in jazz improvisations. Related: Noodled.

Slang definitions & phrases for noodle

noodle 1

noun

The head; the mind: Most of the fellows running television today are sick in the noodle (1914+)

verb
  1. To play idly at an instrument; improvise lazily: I noodled a bit on it and instantly realized I could express me/ Members of an avian orchestra are already softly noodling (1937+ Musicians)
  2. (also noodle around) To think, esp in a free and discursive way; indulge in mental play: as many drafts and as much noodling as I wanted to/ still noodling around with our calculators and the latest census data (1970s+)
  3. To play; toy: noodling nervously with a glass of water (1970s+)
Related Terms

off one's nut

[origin unknown; the ''play around'' senses perhaps influenced by doodle; noddle in the noun sense is found by 1579]


noodle 2

noun

A stupid person; fool; simpleton •Still predominantly British: Something that noodle at Interior might reflect on

[1753+; origin unknown; perhaps fr noodle the food, fr German nudel, because of its limp and wormlike connotations]


Encyclopedia Article for noodle

a cooked egg-and-flour paste prominent in European and Oriental cuisine, generally distinguished from other pasta (q.v.) by its elongated, ribbonlike form. Noodles are commonly used to add body and flavour to broth soups. They are commonly boiled or sauteed and served with sauces and meats or baked in casseroles.

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