Indeed--in fact the word 'yankee' as applied to americans long ago, referred to ... | Hacker News

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

		squirejons on Jan 29, 2014 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: Court: Google infringed patents, must pay 1.36 per... Indeed--in fact the word 'yankee' as applied to americans long ago, referred to the american ripping off of intellectual property: yankee meant IP pirate. No joke!

WalterBright on Jan 29, 2014 [–]

I don't think yankee meant pirate. I'm pretty sure it's an old term with the same meaning as 'wanker'.

However, the Yankees turned it around on the British and owned the term. Classic.

Edit: the actual origin of the word is lost in obscurity. There are lots of theories.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact