Quote:
Originally Posted by Subvet642
Ah! There's the rub. ONLY New Englanders are actual Yankees, New Yorkers are traditionally Knickbockers. It was the Dutch of New Amsterdam That named the British colonists of New England Yankees, which means "John Cheese" in Dutch. The British transferred the name to us as a derogation. Our ancestors embraced it as an act of defiance. Another reason to hate the NY Highlanders. Go Sox! 
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its the other way around my friend. The Brits called the Dutch 'Yankees', a combination of 2 common Dutch names "Jan" and "Kees". Kees (as it's pronounced in English) does not mean cheese in Dutch.