For other uses of doughboy, see Doughboy (disambiguation).

Wartime era portrait of a typical American doughboy, circa: 1918.

Doughboy is an outdated slang term for an American infantryman, best known from its use in World War I, although it potentially dates back to the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

Etymology

The origin of the term is unclear. 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. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three [1] Others claim that it goes back to the Mexican-American War or originated from an early form of the doughnut, called the doughboy. A doughnut (also spelled "donut" is a sweet Deep-fried piece of Dough or batter. Another explanation 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. The Punitive Expedition (officially known in the United States as the Mexican Expedition) was a Military operation conducted by the United States Doroteo Arango Arámbula ( June 5 1878 &ndash July 20 1923) better known as Francisco or " Pancho " Villa Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Other explanations include the use of pipe clay, which looks like dough, to clean infantrymen’s white belts; a corruption of "adobe boy" from the adobe bricks used to house infantrymen in the pre-Civil War Southwest; and the "soft" condition of the young soldiers, applied by British and French forces in World War I who had already fought nearly four years. Dough is a paste made out of any Cereals (grains or leguminous crops by mixing the Flour with a small amount of Water.

An American doughboy (right) receives an award from King George V.

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. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF was the United States military force sent to Europe in World War I. John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB ( September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948) was an officer in the United States Army The helmet worn by Americans in combat was called the Doughboy helmet, even though it was the Brodie helmet design used by the British army. The Brodie helmet, called Helmet steel Mark I helmet in Britain and the M1917 Helmet in the U The Brodie helmet, called Helmet steel Mark I helmet in Britain and the M1917 Helmet in the U The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located At first, the term applied to only the infantry, but soon extended to the entire American contingent. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The term fell into disuse and was replaced by the appellation G.I. in World War II. For other uses of GI see GI GI or GI is a term describing members of the U World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including By then, doughboy had taken on a corny, old-fashioned tone for many GIs, 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 World War I memorial statue. The Spirit of the American Doughboy is a pressed copper sculpture by E
• Doughboy is a word for dumpling. Dumplings are "piece of Dough, sometimes filled that cooked in liquid such as water or soup" or "sweetened dough wrapped around fruit such as an apple baked
• A doughboy is also a deep-fried dough treat, generally in the shape of a thick pancake but often smaller and ball-shaped like a fritter.

See also

• Digger

External links

• Origin of term Doughboy. Digger is a New Zealand and Australian military slang term for Soldiers from New Zealand and Australia.