noodle

Meanings

Noun

• a string or strip of pasta
• a person with poor judgement; a fool
• the brain, the head
• a pool noodle

Verb

• To think or ponder.
• To fiddle, play with, or mess around.
• To improvise music.
• To fish (usually for very large catfish) without any equipment other than the fisherman's own body
• To fossick, especially for opals.

Related

Similar words

• guddle

Origin

• Its early plural form noodlejees suggests a Dutch origin; from Dutch noedel ("noodle"), from German Nudel ("piece of pasta, noodle"), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from an alteration of German Knödel ("dumpling"), from German Knoten ("knot") or from Latin minutulus ("very small, tiny") in the sense of "to chop (food) into small pieces" or Latin nodulus ("little knot"). The senses "fool" and "brain, head" are probably unrelated.