a British nursery rhyme . The first verse is:
Oh the Grand old Duke of York
He had ten thousand men,
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again. It is sometimes used to refer to somebody who cannot decide what to do.
GRAND OLD DUKE OF YORK
Meaning of GRAND OLD DUKE OF YORK in English
Oxford guide to British and American culture English vocabulary. Руководство по британской и американской культуре, Оксфордский английский словарь. 2005