Yes, there is in fact a doodlebug. And Harvard University documents the usage.
In their terrific, oddly fascinating Dialect Study.
Complete with map.
Here are all the connections to Mississippi. In case you were wondering.
I needed to be sure my childhood memories of calling doodlebugs from their homes was truth or fiction. Truth!
Now, don't ever ask me whether I'm doing scholarly research. Of course I am. Click that link up there and see if you don't think it's scholarly.
Writing historical fiction for kids requires a lot of research. Promise.
Not sure about the Mississippi connected doodlebugs, but during WWII and the bombing of London, the people of London called V1 buzz bombs doodlebugs. They were unmanned aircraft that carried explosives and were named after a New Zealand insect.
ReplyDeleteI did a bit of research on them because one of the nurses I wrote about was stationed in London during the Blitz.