Yankee Doodle

[ dood-l ]

noun

1. (italics) a song with a melody of apparent British origin, popular with American troops during the Revolutionary War.
2. a Yankee.

Yankee Doodle

noun

1. an American song, popularly regarded as a characteristically national melody
2. another name for Yankee

“Yankee Doodle”

1. A popular American song, dating from the eighteenth century. The early settlers of New York were Dutch, and the Dutch name for Johnny is Janke, pronounced “Yankee.” This is the most likely origin of the term Yankee . Doodle meant “simpleton” in seventeenth-century English. First sung during the American Revolutionary War by the British troops to poke fun at the strange ways of the Americans (Yankees), the song was soon adopted by American troops themselves. Since then, the song has been considered an expression of American patriotism. The popular version of the first stanza is:

   Yankee Doodle came to town

   Riding on a pony;

   He stuck a feather in his hat

   And called it macaroni.

   Yankee Doodle, keep it up,

   Yankee Doodle dandy;

   Mind the music and the step,

   And with the girls be handy.

Example Sentences

Yankee Doodle Dandy, from 1942, tells the story of the man who practically wrote the soundtrack to American patriotism.

From The Daily Beast

The only boy in the competition dances shirtless to an EDM remix of “Yankee Doodle,” fake abs painted on his stomach.

From The Daily Beast

In Europe, Pointer is stocked in stores with names like Americana and Yankee Doodle.

From The Daily Beast

The final chorus was sung to "Yankee Doodle," and accompanied by a fiddle.

From Project Gutenberg

She returned to her native land with an English troupe, and made Yankee Doodle go wild.

From Project Gutenberg

A shanghi ruseter cums out, with epaulets on, and crows Yankee Doodle—musik bi the band.

From Project Gutenberg

I've got sound common sense instead, and that's what you don't possess, Yankee Doodle!

From Project Gutenberg

Barton humming the tune of ‘Yankee Doodle,’ to make them the better understand what we wanted.

From Project Gutenberg