kaboodle turns up "yanky doodle"

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Tue May 19 21:16:51 UTC 2009


EAN wasn't very helpful for boodle (too many bundles, bridles, etc.),
let alone for kaboodle.  But it did turn up an early "yanky
doodle".  OED has 1768 Sep. 29; the following is 1769 Mar. 2 -- but
it had made two crossings of the Atlantic.  New-York Journal, or the
General Advertiser, page 2.  A very quick guess is that this is a
political satire on the royal Hanovers -- three quarreling brothers
and one quarreling brother-in-law, one of the four being "Gentle George".

"From the General Evening Post, London, Nov. 29.
To the Printer of the Gen. Evening Post.
Rara est Concordia Fratr[smudged]  Oid.
 From the beginning of tim[e?] [n?]o persons upon earth have been so
apt to quarrel as Brothers.
...
George being now master of the ceremonies, made the music play just
as he pleased; and one night (after an extra dose of cyder) he swore
he would exhibit to the company a dance, which had never been
attempted but in North-America.---'Twas in vain that his friends,
observing the state of intoxication he was in, endeavored to dissuade
him from that attempt; George was obstinate as a mule, and called
aloud to the musick to play up yanky doodle; but the fidlers not
playing fast enough he roared and stamped at such a rate, that some
boards in the flooring gave way, and down he went like a ghost in a tragedy."

Joel

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