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Needle vs Noodle - What's the difference?

needle | noodle |

As nouns the difference between needle and noodle

is that needle is a long, thin, sharp implement usually for piercing such as sewing, or knitting, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections etc while noodle is (usually in plural) a string or strip of pasta.

As verbs the difference between needle and noodle

is that needle is to pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture while noodle is (fishing) to fish (usually for very large catfish) without any equipment other than the fisherman's own body.

needle

English

(wikipedia needle)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A long, thin, sharp implement usually for piercing such as sewing, or knitting, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections etc.
    • The seamstress threaded the needle to sew on a button.
  • Any slender, pointed object resembling a needle, such as a pointed crystal, a sharp pinnacle of rock, an obelisk, etc.
  • A long, thin device for indicating measurements on a dial or graph, e.g. a compass needle .
    • The needle on the fuel gauge pointed to empty.
  • A sensor for playing phonograph records, a phonograph stylus.
    • Ziggy bought some diamond needles for his hi-fi phonograph.
  • A long, pointed leaf found on some conifers.
  • * 1994 , , ch. 2:
    • At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth.
  • (informal, usually preceded by the) The death penalty carried out by lethal injection.

    • Derived terms

    * compass needle * knitting needle * needlenose * needlenose pliers * on pins and needles * move the needle * packing needle * pine needle * pins and needles * needle in a haystack * needlepunch * needle-sharp * needlewise

    See also

    * acerate * eye * pin

    Verb

    (needl)
  • To pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture.
  • * 1892 , H. Lindo Ferguson, "Operation on Microphthamlmic Eyes", Ophthalmic Review? , volume 11, page 48
    • the eyes were once more beginning to show the old nystagmus; so I decided to needle' the cataracts, and on Jan. 31 I ' needled the right eye.
  • * 2000 , Felix Mann, Reinventing Acupuncture , page 109
    • Possibly the greatest effect is achieved in the hand by needling the thumb, the index finger and the region of the 1st and 2nd metacarpal.
  • To tease in order to provoke; to poke fun at.
    • Billy needled his sister incessantly about her pimples.
  • * 1984 , Leopold Caligor, Philip M. Bromberg, & James D. Meltzer, Clinical Perspectives on the Supervision of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy? , page 14
    • FRED: Well, I teased her to some extent, or I needled' her, not teased her. I ' needled her about—first I said that she didn't want to work, and then I think that there were a couple of comments.
  • To form in the shape of a needle.
    • to needle crystals

    Synonyms

    * (to tease) goad, tease

    Anagrams

    * 1000 English basic words

    noodle

    English

    Noun

    (en noun) (wikipedia noodle)
  • (usually in plural) A string or strip of pasta.
    • She slurped a long noodle up out of her soup.
  • (colloquial, dated) A person with poor judgement; a fool.
  • * Sydney Smith
    • the chuckling grin of noodles
  • * Charles Dickens, Hard Times
    • If that portrait could speak, sir — but it has the advantage over the original of not possessing the power of committing itself and disgusting others, — it would testify, that a long period has elapsed since I first habitually addressed it as the picture of a noodle .
  • (colloquial) The brain, the head.
  • (colloquial) A pool noodle.

    • Quotations

    (English Citations of "noodle")

    Derived terms

    * egg noodle * noodle bar * noodlehead * pool noodle

    See also

    * pasta *

    Verb

    (Noodling)
  • (fishing) To fish (usually for very large catfish) without any equipment other than the fisherman's own body
    • Fred had several lacerations on his hands from noodling for flathead in the river.
  • To think or ponder.
    • He noodled over the problem for a day or two before making a decision.
    "Noodle that thought around for a while" said Dr. Johnson to his Biblical Interpretations class
  • To fiddle, play with, or mess around.
    • If the machine is really broken, noodling with the knobs is not going to fix it.
  • To improvise music.
    • He has been noodling with that trumpet all afternoon, and every bit of it sounds awful.
  • (Australia) To fossick, especially for opals.
  • * 1989 , Association for Industrial Archaeology, Industrial archaeology review , Volume 12,
    • On the Olympic Field the tour-group is permitted to ‘noodle ’ (hunt for opals) on the waste or mullock heaps ...
  • * 1994 , RonMoon, Outback Australia: a Lonely Planet Australia guide ,
    • In Coober Pedy, noodling' for opals is generally discouraged, although a few tourist spots, such as the Old Timers Mine, have ' noodle pits open to the public.
  • * 2006 , Marele Day, Susan Bradley Smith, Fay Knight (editors), Making Waves: 10 Years of the Byron Bay Writers Festival ,
    • We learn how Lennon used to noodle (fossick) for opal as a kid, how camels were for a long time the only form of transportation, and where the name 'Coober Pedy' came from.

    Derived terms

    * noodler

    References