Dictionary

noodle

Pronunciation

Noun

noodle (plural noodles)

(usually, in the plural) a string or strip of pasta
She slurped a long noodle up out of her soup.
(colloquial, dated) a person with poor judgement; a fool
- the chuckling grin of noodles
- 1854, Charles Dickens, Hard Times
  If that portrait could speak, sir — but it has the advantage over the original of not possessing the power of committing itself and disgusting others, — it would testify, that a long period has elapsed since I first habitually addressed it as the picture of a noodle.
(colloquial) the brain, the head
(colloquial) a pool noodle

Translations

Translations

Verb

noodle (noodles, present participle noodling; past and past participle noodled)

To think or ponder.
He noodled over the problem for a day or two before making a decision.
"Noodle that thought around for a while" said Dr. Johnson to his Biblical Interpretations class.
To fiddle, play with, or mess around.
If the machine is really broken, noodling with the knobs is not going to fix it.
To improvise music.
He has been noodling with that trumpet all afternoon, and every bit of it sounds awful.
(fishing) To fish (usually for very large catfish) without any equipment other than the fisherman's own body
Fred had several lacerations on his hands from noodling for flathead in the river.
(Australia) To fossick, especially for opals.
- 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 ...
- 2006, Marele Day, Susan Bradley Smith, Fay Knight (editors), Making Waves: 10 Years of the Byron Bay Writers Festival ,
  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.

Synonyms

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