h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I just wanted to say that I *loved* this Entry - really fascinating stuff!

Thank you so much for contributing it to the Guide.

Traveller in Time on his hat
"I still do not understand the part about macaroni.
Is he using at for spare, decoration, or is there a meaning behind it?"

Hello Travellerintime,

Well I may be wrong but the way I read it was that the stereotype in the song was trying to be sophisticated/cultured by taking a bit of semi-exotic food (pasta!), sticking it in his hat and giving it a posh name.

Natalie

Traveller in Time sitting on the (dry sticks) spagetti sticked in his hat
"Well, I still do not read that in the text, but I get the image, more or less.

Indeed, great entry, it could have been called 'The Song to win a War With' ."

Thanks, Natalie!

Traveller in Time - I believe that Yankee Doodle calling his feathered hat 'macaroni' is the olden-day equivalent of sticking a feather in your sailor cap (today) and calling it 'cool'.

Excellent entry!

And here's more on the use of the word "macaroni". Farlander is correct, it seems "macaroni" was at one point, um, the cat's pajamas. Peachy. Groovy. Phat. Da bomb. And then it was a little ridiculous.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/beyond/factsheets/makhist/makhist4_prog10c.shtml

I like the picture halfway down this page - http://footguards.tripod.com/06ARTICLES/ART25_macaroni.htm

Traveller in Time on his hat
"Indeed the 'Macaroni Club' was cool where the 'The Beefsteak Club' was more conservative.
Now I know more about fashion and style then I would have ever thought to be behind this 'Yankee Doodle' "

i've always pictured it as a sex related song ...

yankee doodle keep it up
and
with the girls be handy
but i guess this puts my poorly put together rambling to shame! good show!

Well, you were right about the 'and with the girls be handy' bit, you know!


Far.

Well done! An excellent entry. Humorous, informative, and enlightening.

good stuff


()

Thanks, you all! I hope the article hasn't caused Yankee Doodle to play repetitively in your heads...

It didn't but now it does!!!!!

I don't get the reason why it's such an honour for a child to play Yankee Doodle in a public school performance. I'm not U.S.-American, I just recognized this again and again in American TV-productions, especially in sitcoms.
For me Yankee Doodle appears to be some kind of caricature of the first settlers. So why do they make such a big fuss about him nowadays?
I know my question comes a little late, but I didn't have the time to read the article, which is excellent by the way , earlier.

kat

Hello Kat,

I think the article hints at this. I suppose it's another case of a group of people deciding to disarm those ridiculing them by adopting their comments and turning them into a badge of pride! I wonder when that started to happen.

And yes, it's in my head now too...

Natalie

thanks for the answer!
what you said makes pretty much sense to me. though it's really interesting that this point of view became accepted within the whole country.

kat

Nice article.
The 'Lucy Locket' version survives too, at least here in London.

Thanks, Andrew! What *are* the complete lyrics for Lucy's Locket, by the way?

The version I learned as a kid was:

(Clears throat...)
Lucy Locket lost her pocket
Kitty Fisher found it;
Not a penny was there in it
But a ribbon round it.

I think that's all. I've heard there's a story behind it, like many of these ditties. I've seen the last line written with 'the binding' instead of 'a ribbon'.