Noodle

Noodle

Noun / Verb · /ˈnuː.dəl/

Definition

(Noun) a thin strip or string of pasta or similar dough, typically made from wheat flour, egg, and water, boiled and eaten in soups or with a sauce; common across Asian and European cuisines; (British informal) the head — use one's noodle means to use one's brain; (Verb, informal) to improvise casually on a musical instrument; to think or work through something idly.

Origin

The food sense: from German Nudel (noodle), of uncertain origin, possibly from Latin nodulus (a small knot, diminutive of nodus: a knot) — reflecting the knotted or twisted forms of early pasta. Possibly also related to the German word for a small lump. First appearing in English in the eighteenth century. The head sense (British informal): probably from the German Nudel meaning a lump or simpleton — noodle being used from the eighteenth century to mean a foolish person, then the head. The musical sense (to noodle): from the head sense, extended to casual, exploratory thinking or improvising, as in noodling on the guitar.