You're a dandy, sissy!

[Deanna Lund]

The word dandy has, for the most part, lost its meaning, if not entirely, nearly so, at least in America. In these times it is just a word in a song we sing around July 4th, but the British fully intended the song,  Yankee Doodle to humiliate the Colonists rebelling against Britain. The fact that the rebels coopted the song and embraced it joyfully singing, I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy makes me wonder if there might have been some of our sisters in their ranks.

About three years ago I was doing some research and read, <u>NARRATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES’ EXPEDITION TO THE RIVER JORDAN AND THE DEAD SEA, BY WILLIAM FRANCIS LYNCH, U. S. N., COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION</u>, it was published in 1849 and contains an account of Cmdr. Lynch’s observation of a very effeminate man and the Cmdr’s recollection of this poem:

A dandy is someone who would,

Be a young lady if he could.

But since he can’t does all he can,

To show the world he’snot a man!

We might have a better sense of the sentiment if we replace dandy with sissy.

Picture those patriots singing, I’m a Yankee Doodle Sissy!

It warms my breast!

Luv

D

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