This can be partially ascertained from the chorus, in which listeners are told to “mind the music and the step”. In a more-positive light “Yankee Doodle” was also used as a popular dance tune, in a manner somewhat similar to the dance-battle movies we see today. Thus, as the New York Times puts it, the British soldiers were basically calling their “Yankee” counterparts “gay and bumbling”. “Macaroni” was the name given to British men who followed a flamboyant fashion trend in the late 18 th century that was characterized by comical (i.e. For instance, equating a Yankee with a “macaroni”. That said, some of the original British disses still remain.

And by the time the Thirteen Colonies actually emerged victorious from this conflict, the song had more or less solidified its place in American history as a symbol of patriotism. However, throughout the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), the song rather began being used by American soldiers, albeit with modified lyrics, against the British troops. Based on this, a “Yankee” was more identifiable with a geographical region ( i.e. Readers should note that this predated the official formation of the United States in 1776.

They used it to mock “Yankees”, as in soldiers from the United States. British military personnel sang “Yankee Doodle” in America even before the Revolutionary War.

The meaning of doodle