Noodles are long, thin, curly strips of pasta. They are used especially in Chinese and Italian cooking.
noodle in British English1
(ˈnuːdəl)
noun
(often plural)
a ribbon-like strip of pasta: noodles are often served in soup or with a sauce
Word origin
C18: from German Nudel, origin obscure
noodle in British English2
(ˈnuːdəl)
noun
1. US and Canadian a slang word for head (sense 1)
2. informal
a silly person
Word origin
C18: perhaps a blend of noddle1 and noodle1
noodle in British English3
(ˈnuːdəl)
verb
(intransitive) slang
to improvise aimlessly on a musical instrument
noodle in American English1
(ˈnuːdl)
noun
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
Word origin
[1770–80; ‹ G Nudel]
noodle in American English2
(ˈnuːdl)
noun
1. slang
the head
2.
a person who lacks intelligence or judgment
Word origin
[1745–55; perh. var. of noddle (with oo from fool)]
noodle in American English3
(ˈnuːdl) (verb-dled, -dling)
intransitive verb
1.
to improvise a musical passage in a casual manner, esp. as a warm-up exercise
2. informal
a.
to play; toy
to noodle with numbers as a hobby
b.
to improvise, experiment, or think creatively
The writers noodled for a week and came up with a better idea for the ad campaign
transitive verb
3. informal
a.
to manipulate or tamper with
She denied that she had noodled the statistics to get a favorable result
b. (sometimes fol. by up)
to make or devise freely as an exercise or experiment
The architects noodled up a model of a solar house