to noodle around
1
8.0
- phrasal verb
- /ˈnuːdəl əˈraʊnd/
- Informal
:
tocar sin rumbo
- She often noodles around on her guitar during breaks at work, just for fun.
- just noodling around
Examples
-
Likewise, most musicians don't compose entire melodies in their head and then write them down; instead, they noodle around on an instrument for a while, playing with patterns and reacting to what they hear, adjusting and sculpting.
Blog text (10) -
When we got back to Brad's apartment, he noodled around with his horns for two hours.
Fiction book (1999) -
You noodle around with this idea, but don't accomplish much.
Blog text (31) -
After dinner, I like to noodle around on the piano, experimenting with different melodies.
-
The kids decided to noodle around with some rhythm instruments in the backyard.
Synonyms
111
4.1
To spend time doing playful or unplanned activities
47
3.4
To try something in a casual playful way without being serious
46
3.6
Act in a silly, playful way instead of working
8
6.8
To play music in a relaxed, not serious way
3
8.4
To spend time doing not important things in a relaxed way
1
8.7
To spend time doing things that are not important
1
8.6
Play an instrument in a relaxed way without planning
1
9.3
To play a wind instrument gently for fun
To play an instrument lightly in a careless or repeating way
How Purposeful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to play casually or improvise' is directly derivable from combining 'noodle' (to play or improvise casually) with 'around' (aimlessly/about), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE. The particle 'around' simply adds the casual/aimless nuance typical of verb + around constructions, making the phrase compositionally transparent.
Etymology
The phrasal verb noodle around may come from musicians who would quietly noodle or play small, aimless tunes around a song, trying ideas without a plan. So, the phrase came to mean 'to play casually or improvise'.