Doughboy

For the advertising icon, see Pillsbury Doughboy. For the band, see Doughboys (band).

Doughboy is a now-outdated slang term for American infantrymen, best known from its use in World War I, although it dates back to the Mexican-American War in 1847.

Etymology

Spirit of the American Doughboy, the most famous doughboy statue

A doughboy (right) receives the Victoria Cross from King George V

It is unclear where the term comes from. The most commonly held explanation is that it came into use in the Civil War in reference to the dumpling-shaped buttons on the Union soldiers' jackets.

Others claim that it goes back to the Mexican-American War or originated from an early form of the doughnut, called the doughboy.

Another explanation of the term stems from the time of the Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa in 1916, in which the infantry were constantly covered with dust from marching through the dry terrain of northern Mexico, giving them the appearance of unbaked dough.

Other explanations point to the use of pipe clay, which looks like dough, to clean infantrymen’s white belts; another is that it is a corruption of "adobe boy" from the adobe bricks used to house infantrymen in the pre-Civil War Southwest; and yet another that it refers to the soft condition of the young soldiers. None of these theories is definite.

"Doughboy" became most popular during World War I, since the American Expeditionary Force was led by General John J. Pershing, who had been a commander of the Mexican expedition. The helmet worn in combat was called the Doughboy helmet, even though it was adopted from its use by the British army. At first the term applied to only the infantry, but soon applied to the entire American contingent.

The term fell into disuse and was replaced by the appellation G.I. in World War II. By then, doughboy had taken on a corny, old-fashioned tone for many GI's, as in the 1942 song Johnny Doughboy found a Rose in Ireland. It dropped out of popular use, and is now of historic interest only.

Other uses

Spirit of the American Doughboy is a famous World War I memorial statue.
Doughboy is also a word for dumpling.

External links

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