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

Jimmy Cagney’s old schmaltz vehicle "Yankee Doodle Dandy" looks restrained by comparison.

From Salon

Yankee Doodle went to town, riding on a pony...

From Literature

Ted, having had his fill of foreignness, heads to the Yankee Doodle Burger Barn restaurant, which advertises American food in American portions.

From New York Times

And a patriotic medley that follows, featuring “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” is as blandly perfunctory as a middling college halftime show.

From Washington Post

"I know of only two tunes: one of them is Yankee Doodle Dandy, and the other isn't."

From Salon