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nurdle

nurdle n. a grain, pellet, granule, or other small piece of a material, especially as part of a large quantity (such as foam kernels used as packing material); (in pronunciation-based spellings) a nodule; a quantity of a gel or semi-solid; a thing of unknown name (doodad, thingamajig, etc.). Also nerdle. Editorial Note: The use of nurdle to describe the amount of toothpaste one should put on a toothbrush was probably popularized as part of an organized campaign by the American Dental Association. A nurdle is also a play in the game of tiddlywinks and a type of batting in cricket. There are also, apparently, at least two ridiculous British games called nurdling, both which can only be explained after beers. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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6 comments
  • colloquial pronunciation: nuddle
    (my dad’s been using that one for years, mostly in relation to describing dingleberries, dog pooh, and other small gross pieces of things)

  • In fact nurdling is related to the act of batting (not bowling) in cricket.  It is the act of nudging the ball to the close in-field rather than playing a full-blown shot at the ball (similar to a bunt rather than a full swing in baseball).  While it perfectly possible to score runs by nurdling they tend to come (very) slowly.

  • Nurdle has a cute, endearing sound and is a welcome addition to my vocabulary.  I guess the consonant + le is a short form for diminutives such as elle or ille.  A diminutive diminutive in the tradition of chuckle, chortle, fiddle, faddle, boodle, it’s homey, non-threatening. Yet I feel uneasy about milliards of nurdles washing out to sea.  Thanks for the fun!

  • Growing up, “nurdles” were generally regarded by me, my sibs, and buddies as any small, hard or semi-hard thingys produced by one’s body and extricated from one’s orifices, usually a nose hole, navel, or butt crack.

  • Mark Baker

    I don’t think you can have nurdle as a noun in cricket. It is a verb to describe a method of batting.  Boycott was famous for ‘nudging and nurdling’ his way to a big score.

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