noddle

plural noddles

1. UKinformalThe head; the part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth and main sense organs.

   But being restored to the open aire, the cafe with him was little altred; for no roofe had he to hide his noddle in, or whither he might go to set up his rest, but in the streets under a bulk he should have been constrainted to have kenneld […]

   1596, Tho[mas] Nashe, “Dialogus”, in Haue with You to Saffron-Walden. Or, Gabriell Harveys Hunt is Up. […], London: […] John Danter, →OCLC; republished as J[ohn] P[ayne] C[ollier], editor, Have with You to Saffron-Walden (Miscellaneous Tracts; Temp. Eliz. and Jac. I), [London: s.n., 1870], →OCLC, page 111

2. UKinformalThe head as the seat of mental capacity or intellect.

   Thus far the Poet; but his brains grow Addle, / And all the reſt is purely from this Noddle.

   1690, [John] Dryden, “Prologue to Don Sebastian King of Portugal. […]”, in Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: […], London: […] Jo. Hindmarsh, […], →OCLC, (please specify |act=I or II), page 20

   3 more examples

   No doubt (said the Barber) but I wonder not so much at the Knights madnesse, as the Squires simplicity, that beleeves so in the Islands, and I think all the Art in the world will not drive that out of his noddle.

   1612–1620, [Miguel de Cervantes], translated by Thomas Shelton, The History of the Valorous and Wittie Knight-errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha. […], London: […] William Stansby, for Ed[ward] Blount and W. Barret, →OCLC, page 123

   Novv vvhat can have got into that precious noddle of thine, my dear brother Toby? cried my father, mentally.

   1762, [Laurence Sterne], chapter XXXVII, in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume V, London: […] T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, […], →OCLC, page 128

   Shell after shell did they empty, and to Jack's exceeding surprise, he found the drink never got into his head, owing, I suppose, to the sea being over them, which kept their noddles cool.

   1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 532

3. obsoleteThe back of the head; nape.

   They muste absteine from ouer much slepe, and not to slepe in the day time, nor [upon] the noddle of the head […]

   1562, Guglielmo Gratarolo, translated by William Fulwood, The Castel of Memorie, volume I

present singular third person noddles · participle present noddling · participle past noddled · past noddled

1. intransitiveTo nod repeatedly.

present singular third person noddles · participle present noddling · participle past noddled · past noddled

1. alternativeAlternative form of noodle (“improvise musically”).

   The album is almost ruined by some muzak-style noddling for strings and keyboards.

   1987, John Schaefer, New sounds: a listener's guide to new music, page 89

   1 more example

   […] a rolling bass figure in 2/4 over which two semi-tuned electric guitars are noddling rhythm and blues.

   1977, Musician, Player and Listener, number 9, page 4