doughboy en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From dough + boy; its use to refer to an infantryman is unknown, but dates from 1847, during the Mexican–American War.
Meanings
-
(US) An American infantryman, especially one from World War I.
The miser, a-seeking lost gelt, / The doughboy, awaiting the battle, / May possibly know how I felt / While the long years dragged by as the dealer / As slow as the slowest of dubs, / Stuck out the last helping of tickets / 'Till I lifted—the Bullet of Clubs!
1969, Robert L. Vann, The Competitor, volumes 2-3, page 135:The "dough boys" were loaded into army wagons drawn by mules, and with the cavalry at the flanks the relief column started.
1901 July 19, “Horses in time of War”, in The Agricultural Journal and Mining Record, volume 4, number 10, page 296:
- A kind of flour dumpling.
- Frybread.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| doughboys | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (5)
nl infanterist (A kind of dumpling) · mi pokenga kinikini (A kind of dumpling) · nl knoedel (A kind of dumpling) · mi motumotu (A kind of dumpling) · nl gebakken brood (A kind of dumpling)