Yankee/Yank/Yanqui

a positive term today when used to refer to New Englanders, Yankee was originally derogatory and is still occasionally used that way in other countries to refer to the United States ("Yankees, go home"). During the Civil War, it referred to any Northerner; traces of this antagonism can sometimes be heard in it today. During World War II, however, Yankee and Yanks were a positive term. Like all shortened forms, Yank is otherwise disparaging; Yanqui is the Spanish-language term sometimes used as an epithet. Yankee also has some negative overtones of cleverness verging on sharp practices.