noodle

 

Chinese-style noodles (etymology 1, sense 1) served in soup.

 

Japanese udon are called noodles (etymology 1, sense 1) in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

 

Fusilli is a type of Italian pasta; it is called noodles (etymology 1, sense 1) only in the United States.

 

A girl using a noodle (sense 2.1), or pool noodle.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): [ˈnuː.dl̩]
• (General American, Canada, Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈnu.dəl/, [ˈnuː.dl̩]

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): [ˈnʉː.dl̩]

  • Audio (Queensland):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -uːdəl
• Hyphenation: nood‧le

Borrowed from Dutch noedel (“noodle”)),^[1] 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:^[2]

• 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”).

noodle (plural noodles)

1. (usually in the plural) 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.

   • 2003, Ma. Romina M. Gonzalez, Welostit and Other Stories, page 51:

     One brought two boxes of instant mami noodles.

2. (by extension) An object which is long and thin like a noodle (sense 1).
   1. (informal) Short for 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”).
3. (archaic) A dumpling cooked by boiling and served in soup; a knaidel or knödel.
4. (slang) The penis.

In British English, the word noodle (sense 1) is chiefly used to describe Asian or northern-European food items comprising long, thin strands of dough. In American English, noodle can also refer to Italian pasta which in British English would only be referred to as pasta.^[2][3]

• pasta
• Thesaurus:noodle

The origin of the noun is uncertain; it is possibly a variant of noddle (“the head”).^[4] The verb is derived from the noun.^[5]

noodle (plural noodles) (informal)

1. (dated) A person with poor judgment; a fool.
   • 1751, [Alain-René Lesage], “Which is as Short as the Foregoing”, in [Tobias George Smollett], transl., The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane. […], 3rd edition, volume I, London: […] J. Osborn, […], →OCLC, book III, page 244:

     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: […]."

   • 1796 March 25 (first performance), J[ames] C. Cross, “The Village Doctor, a Burletta. […]”, in Parnassian Bagatelles: Being a Miscellaneous Collection of Poetical Attempts. […], London: […] Burton and Co. […]; [for] Bellamy, […], published 1796, →OCLC, page 140:

     You vvrong me, noodle (boxes his ears). Novv then to the point.

   • 1826, [Walter Scott], chapter III, in Woodstock; Or, The Cavalier. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, →OCLC, page 67:

     [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.

   • 1839, Sydney Smith, “Preface”, in The Works of the Rev. Sydney Smith. […], volume I, London: […] [A[ndrew] Spottiswoode] for Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longmans, […], →OCLC, page viii:

     [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.

   • 1854, Charles Dickens, “Final”, in Hard Times. For These Times, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], →OCLC, book the third (Garnering), page 349:

     If that portrait could speak, sir,— […] it would testify, that a long period has elapsed since I first habitually addressed it as the picture of a Noodle. Nothing that a Noodle does, can awaken surprise or indignation; the proceedings of a Noodle can only inspire contempt.

   • 1905 February 4, Alfred Colbeck, “Netted: The Story of a Capture”, in The Boy’s Own Paper, volume XXVII, number 19 (number 1360 overall), London: “Boy’s Own Paper” Office, […], →OCLC, chapter V (A Surprising Capture), page 314, column 1:

     "What are you two noodleth laughing at?" Norrie went on, with a touch of indignation. "Ithn't the thenthe of thent in hith nothe?"

     The speaker is lisping.

2. (slang) The brain; the head.
   • 2006, Mark Victor Hansen, Art Linkletter, “Mind or Are You ‘Sageing’ or Aging?”, in How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life, Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson Books, Thomas Nelson, →ISBN, page 172:

     [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.

• noodledom
• noodlehead
• noodleism

noodle (third-person singular simple present noodles, present participle noodling, simple past and past participle noodled)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To fool or trick (someone).

   Synonym: dupe

2. (intransitive, British, dialectal, informal) To engage in frivolous behaviour; to fool around or waste time.

Possibly either:^[6]

• a blend of Shetland Scots nune (“to sing softly, croon, hum”) (from Danish nynne, Norwegian nuna, nynna (“to hum; to sing”), originally imitative)^[7] + 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).

noodle (third-person singular simple present noodles, present participle noodling, simple past and past participle noodled)

1. (transitive, intransitive, Shetland, singing) To hum or sing (a tune) at a low pitch or volume.

The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly derived:^[8]

• 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).^[9]

noodle (third-person singular simple present noodles, present participle noodling, simple past and past participle noodled)

1. (transitive)
   1. (chiefly jazz) To 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.

      Coordinate term: jazzify

   2. (US, informal) To ponder or think about (something).

      Synonym: mull over

      “Noodle that thought around for a while,” said Dr. Johnson to his Biblical Interpretations class.

2. (intransitive)
   1. (chiefly jazz) To play a musical instrument or to sing in an improvisatory or lighthearted manner; also, to play a series of ornamental notes on an instrument.

      Coordinate term: jam

      He has been noodling with that trumpet all afternoon, and every bit of it sounds awful.

      • 1965, W[ystan] H[ugh] Auden, “Thanksgiving for a Habitat. The Cave of Nakedness (for Louis and Emmie Kronenberger).”, in About the House, New York, N.Y.; Toronto, Ont.: Random House, →OCLC, page 34:

        [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, […]

      • 2020 November 9, Gwen Ihnat, “With McCartney III, Paul McCartney Offers Lessons from a Legendary Life”, in The A.V. Club‎^[2], archived from the original on 16 May 2022:

        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.

   2. (US, informal)
      1. To 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.

      2. To 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.

      3. Often followed by about or around: to mess around, to play.

• noodler
• noodling (noun)

noodle (plural noodles)

1. (chiefly jazz) An improvised passage of music played on an instrument; also, a series of ornamental notes played on an instrument; a trill.

• noodly

Uncertain; possibly:^[10]

• from noodle (“to fool or trick (someone)”) (obsolete) (see etymology 2); or
• from nodule (“rounded mass or irregular shape”).

noodle (third-person singular simple present noodles, present participle noodling, simple past and past participle noodled) (Australia)

1. (transitive)
   1. To search (mullock (“mining or ore processing waste”)) for opals.
   2. To obtain (an opal) by searching through mullock.
   3. (also figuratively) To clear extraneous material from (an opal).
3. (intransitive) To search mullock for opals; to fossick.
   • 1989, Association for Industrial Archaeology, Industrial archaeology review, volume 12:

     On the Olympic Field the tour-group is permitted to ‘noodle’ (hunt for opals) on the waste or mullock heaps […]

   • 1994, RonMoon, Outback Australia: a Lonely Planet Australia guide:

     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.

   • 2006, Making Waves: 10 Years of the Byron Bay Writers Festival, edited by Marele Day, Susan Bradley Smith, and Fay Knight, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     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.

 

Unknown; perhaps related to guddle (“to catch (fish) with the hands”).^[11]

noodle (third-person singular simple present noodles, present participle noodling, simple past and past participle noodled)

1. (transitive, fishing) To 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.

   (to catch with the hands): Synonym: guddle

   Fred had several lacerations on his hands from noodling flathead in the river.

• noodling (noun)

•   noodle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
•   noodle (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
•   noodling (fishing) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Joseph Wright, editor (1903), “NOODLE, sb. and v.”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volume IV (M–Q), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC, page 294, column 1.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “noodle”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

• Old One

Borrowed from English noodle.

• IPA^(key): /ˈnudel/ [ˈnu.ð̞el]
• Rhymes: -udel

noodle m (plural noodles)

1. noodle (food)

   Synonym: fideo