Citations:noddle

English citations of noddle

Noun: part of the body

• 1596, John Payne Collier, Miscellaneous tracts: temp. Eliz. & Jac. 1, Volumes 9-11, page 111:

  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...

• 1597, Nicholas Breton, Wits Trenchmour, in a conference has betwixt a scholler and an angler, page 18:

  I thinke Sir quoth the Scholler, they were birds of one feather, though they liued not at one time: but it is strange to see sometime, what sharpnes of wit a man shall meete with in such a bald noddle.

• 1623, William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Shakespeare as Put Forth in 1623: A Reprint of Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. Published According to the True Originall Copies, published 1864, page 211:

  But if it were, doubt not, her care should be, / To combe your noddle with a three-legg'd stoole / And paint your face, and use you like a foole.

• 1718, Joseph Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, translation of Epigrammaton, book 3, epigram 43 by Martial:

  Why shouldst thou try to hide thyself in youth?
  Impartial Proserpine beholds the truth;
  And laughing at so fond and vain a talk,
  Will strip thy hoary noddle of its mask.

• 1899, Folklore Society (Great Britain), Folklore, Volume 10, page 193:

  His old gray noddle kept shaking.

• 2011, Lars Husum, My Friend Jesus Christ‎ (fiction), →ISBN:

  He comes up to me, giving me two biffs on the noddle with his knuckles, ‘Hello there, anybody home?’

Noun: the seat of mental capacity

• 1652, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, The History of the Valorous and Witty Knight-errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha, page 141:

  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.

• 1659, Richard Brome, The Dramatic Works of Richard Brome: Five new playes, 1650: The English Moor, or The mock-marriage. The lovesick court, or The ambitious politique, 1658. The wedding of the Covent-Garden, or The Middlesex-justice of peace, 1658. The new academy, or, The new exchange, 1658. The queen and concubine, 1650 (drama), page 76:

  This fellow has in stead of braines, a Cob-web in his Noddle, with little strawes, feathers, and wings of dead Butterflies hanging in that, that having motion by his aery fancie, there dance and keep a Racket; 'tis to teach women silence, or some such foolish impossibility.

• 1660, James Howell, Lexicon tetraglotton, an English-French-Italian-Spanish dictionary: whereunto is adjoined a large nomenclature of the proper terms (in all the four) belonging to several arts and sciences, to recreations, to professions both liberal and mechanick, &c. Divided into fiftie two sections; with another volume of the choicest proverbs in all the said toungs, (consisting of divers compleat tomes), page 2:

  He hath no wit in his noddle.

• 1660, James Howell, “A letter composed of French proverbs”, in Lexicon tetraglotton, an English-French-Italian-Spanish dictionary: whereunto is adjoined a large nomenclature of the proper terms (in all the four) belonging to several arts and sciences, to recreations, to professions both liberal and mechanick, &c. Divided into fiftie two sections; with another volume of the choicest proverbs in all the said toungs, (consisting of divers compleat tomes):

  ...for want of a napkin, you will judge perhaps, that the Author hath some strange freaks, or quinombroms in his noddle, that he hath quicksands, or Mercury, or rather one quarter of the Moon in his pericranium... He carryes a quarter of the Moon in his noddle, viz. he is mad.

• 1682, Bulstrode Whitelocke, Memorials of the English affairs: or, an Historical Account of What passed from the beginning of the Reign of King Charles I., to King Charles II. His Happy Restauration (etc.), page 135:

  And here ended the first scene of our Tragick Civil Wars, in the Exit of this brave person Essex, who being set aside, and many gallant men, his Officers, with him, the King's party looked upon the new Army, and new Officers, with much contempt, and the new Model was by them in scorn called the New Noddle.

• 1699, Desiderius Erasmus, Twenty-two select colloquies out of Erasmus Roterodamus: pleasantly representing several superstitious levities that were crept into the church of Rome in his days, page 121:

  These Women had absolutely bewitch'd you; or rather conjur'd your Brains out of your Noddle.

• 1963, Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, The Odyssey‎:

  “A handsome man, contrariwise, may lack grace and good sense in everything he says. You now, for instance, with your fine physique- a god’s, indeed- you have an empty noddle.” -Odysseus addressing Seareach (aka Broadsea)

• 2001, Eric Malpass, The Wind Brings Up the Rain (fiction), →ISBN, page 207:

  But God knows what goes on in her little noddle.

• 2002, Joy Hakim, A History of US: Book 3: From Colonies to Country 1735-1791 (history), →ISBN, page 89:

  A British cartoon called “Noddle Island” (a real island outside Boston) made a double joke about women's fashions and the mistakes of Bunker Hill. (Noddle is an old English word for head.)

• 2004, Alan Spence, Way to Go (fiction), →ISBN, page 9:

  "Use the auld noddle!

Noun: the back of the head

• 1562, Guglielmo Gratarolo, The castel of memorie, Volume 1‎:

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

• 1660, James Howell, Lexicon tetraglotton, an English-French-Italian-Spanish dictionary: whereunto is adjoined a large nomenclature of the proper terms (in all the four) belonging to several arts and sciences, to recreations, to professions both liberal and mechanick, &c. Divided into fiftie two sections; with another volume of the choicest proverbs in all the said toungs, (consisting of divers compleat tomes)‎:

  The Noddle; Le derriere de la teste, [coupeau] de la teste; La parte di dietro della testa; Parte trasera de la cabeça.

• 1673, Randle Cotgrave, A French and English dictionary‎:

  Le derriere de la teste. The noddle, or nape of the neck; the seat of the memory; whence, Il a le derriere de la teste un peularge. He hath but a bad memory.