I have a recording of a set my father did back in the 1970s (?), lasting 10 minutes (at least) in which he traced the history of the song "Yankee Doodle." I hadn't thought of transcribing it, yet there have been a couple of occasions when I've sent tapes to people who were interested in his research, so it would be useful to do so. I'll trace this thread, and when I get it transcribed, I'll post it. There are lots of asides with tidbits of information that may well answer this and other questions.

Meanwhile, you can assume that the least flattering application of the term "handy" is the one that was intended by the man who wrote the song (in this instance, it would tend to imply promiscuity). The song was used as a form of derision before and during the Revolutionary War period.

SRS