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noddle

C2
noun

Pronunciation

UK

  • /nˈɒdəl/

US

  • /ˈnɑdl/

Description

Your noddle is your head, the part sitting on top of your shoulders. This old-fashioned, playful word is often used when someone is talking about thinking as well as the head itself. "Use your noddle!" simply means "Think about it!"

The word has been around for a very long time and has a light, joking feel. It can mean your actual head or, more loosely, your brain or mind. If someone says, "She's got a good noddle," they mean she's clever. In some places, especially in American English, you may hear "noodle" used in a similar way.

Examples

  1. 1

    Head injury

    He bumped his noddle on the low doorway.

  2. 2

    Thinking

    Use your noddle: the answer is right in front of you.

    • Phrase

      use your noddle

      think

  3. 3

    Memory

    It took me a while to get the dates straight in my noddle.

    • Usage

      in your noddle

      in your mind; informal and old-fashioned

Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • noddlenoun