Guy Fawkes

English

Etymology

From Guy Fawkes, who took part in the failed plot to blow up parliament in 1605 and who was sentenced to being hanged, drawn, and quartered.

Noun

Guy Fawkes (plural Guy Fawkeses)

1. An effigy of Guy Fawkes that is hanged as part of the Guy Fawkes Night celebrations.

   Synonym: guy

   • 1851, Edmund Burke, The Annual Register of World Events: A Review of the Year:

     Guy Fawkeses of great pretension were paraded in various towns of the kingdom, and the exhibitors realized contributions far exceeding the usual donations.

   • 1861, Henry Mayhew, London labour and the London poor - Volume 3, page 65:

     When, however, the monster Guy Fawkeses came into fashion, considerably greater expense was gone to in " getting up " the figures.

   • 1892, Oliver E. Murray, The Black Pope:

     Millions of little Guy Fawkeses are burned in England every year.

Derived terms

• Guy Fawkes Day
• Guy Fawkes Night

 

Verb

Guy Fawkes (third-person singular simple present Guy Fawkeses, present participle Guy Fawkesing, simple past and past participle Guy Fawkesed)

1. (intransitive) To celebrate Guy Fawkes Night.
   • 189?, The Boy's Own Annual, page 73:

     ... had been “Guy Fawkesing" since early in the morning.

   • 1897, The Child-study Monthly - Volume 3, page 180:

     As soon as I reached home in the evening, W. V. had her lantern ready to go out Guy-Fawkesing.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To blow up a building as an act of political sabotage.
   • 1873, “The Late Attempt at Suicide”, in Blackwood's Magazine, volume 113, page 496:

     The burning of a few heretics would be in principle no more repugnant to us than gagging; neither would a little Guy Fawkesing about Westminster, though the latter diversion might come home to honourable members disagreeably.

   • 1900, George Manville Fenn, The Young Castellan: A Tale of the English Civil War, page 86:

     "Ay, and I shall take it away from 'em, sir ; for if the worst comes to the worst, I shall have made all my plans before, and I'll do a bit o' Guy Fawkesing." " What do you mean ?" " Why, I should ha' thought you'd ha' understood that, sir." " Of course I do ; but how could you blow up the castle?"

   • 1950, Paul Revere and the minute Men, page 85:

     They'd try some Guy-Fawkesing on the British officials and their families. It was the only way they had to make the British government realize that they did not intend to pay taxes they hadn't voted on.

   • 1953, Saul Bellow, The Adventures of Augie March, New York: Viking Press, →OCLC:

     I could be at least a messenger to the higher-ups who'd be busy Guy-Fawkesing the Drake Hotel or the Palmer House – because it was that to Eddie Dawson, hauling up gunpowder in the tunnels.

3. (transitive) To execute by hanging.
   • 1866, Philip Bennett Power, The Ill-used Postman:

     The barber being sure that all were on his side, now dropped his voice into tones sepulchral and solemn, and said slowly and deliberately; “If things don't mend, he must be Guy Fawkesed; Farmer Slade's barn was burnt by accident last Guy Fawkes' day; and no one ever found out who did it; and there's often a fire on Guy Fawkes' day; 'tis quite natural there should be when so many squibs are flying about."

   • 1869, The Old Guard:

     With Jackson and Stuart alive, and with Davis and his cabinet, Hood, Daniel and the Pollards, all Guy Fawkesed at an early period of the conflict, what might not have been the result ?

   • 1907, The Grand magazine - Volume 6, page 517:

     'tis the Fifth of November, And, being at leisure, I write To say that my club owns a member Who ought to be Guy-Fawkesed at sight.

Translations

Translations

• Welsh: Guto Ffowc