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Glite Dictionary
Yankee-Doodle

Yankee-Doodle

1 9.6
A person from the United States who people from other countries often call jokingly or rudely
  • noun
  • /ˈjæŋki ˈduːdəl/
  • Offensive
translation icon : yanqui
  • He always wears a baseball cap and shorts; he really is a Yankee-Doodle in every way.

Examples

Synonyms

Yank
vsYankee-Doodle
  • Informal
22 7.6

A person from the United States

is similar but more often carries playful or critical tone
Americano
vsYankee-Doodle
1 4.9

A person from the United States

is the English term that often adds joking or disparaging nuance
Yankee
vsYankee-Doodle
  • Informal
5.5

A person from the United States, especially as called by people outside that country

is used the same way but often in joking or disparaging ways
Yankees
vsYankee-Doodle
  • Informal
3.5

People from the United States called by people in other countries

is like this but frequently used with humorous or derogatory intent

Surface Forms

Yankee-Doodle singular
Yankee-Doodles plural

Morphology

Yankee-Doodle = Yankee + doodle (semi-transparent) = Yankee + doodle

Formally a compound of two recognizable words, but the idiomatic nickname sense (from a song/proper name) is cultural and not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Yankee-Doodle began as a British joke: soldiers called Americans Yankee and used doodle to mean a 'fool', and a mocking song made fun of the colonists. That's why today Yankee-Doodle can mean an American person, sometimes said playfully or in a rude way.