Talk:guy

Gender neutral

See the discussion of you guys. I don't believe guy is quite as gender-neutral as the article implies. At the very least, gender-neutral usage is rare outside of the special form you guys (and possibly these/those guys) -dmh 17:19, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I think it's gender-neutral, but only when plural. 146.6.84.100 19:12, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

I for one see the article as two restrictive for gender neutralness--71.131.40.134 06:34, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

More definitions

Why is there no mention of the other definition of "guy" (noun), meaning a stay, a rope tied to limit the movement of a sail, tent etc.? Also there is a verb "guyed", to stay. There is also a separate verb, "to guy", meaning to jibe, mock or ridicule.-bo-peep10:23, 26 Jun 2005

Well, this is a wiki, so add them! :) --Wytukaze 15:10, 26 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I added it. It is now #5 under nouns. There may be room for improvement. Should it mention adjective guyed? JillianE 20:24, 28 January 2006 (UTC)

Etymology

Anyone know the etomology? I've wondered if it originated with people jokingly calling others Guy after Guy Fawkes. —This unsigned comment was added by 146.6.84.100 (talk • contribs) 2006-07-13 19:12:55.

You're joking, right? Rod (A. Smith) 20:56, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

The OED disagrees with the etymology shown on our page, the OED reads for the first noun meaning (nautical one):

• Etymology: < Old French gui-s (obj. case guion ), also guie = Provençal guia , Spanish guia , Portuguese guia , Italian guida (see guide n.); the two Romance types *guido(n and *guida (etymologically feminine, but masculine as a designation of men) are verbal ns. < guidare : see guide v.

Also, the effigy meaning of guy does come from Guy Fawkes:

• ..An effigy of Guy Fawkes traditionally burnt on the evening of November the Fifth, usu. with a display of fireworks. Also in full Guy Fawkes. ...

WilliamKF (talk) 21:30, 12 November 2012 (UTC)

Revival of dated usage of guy

[Mercedes Lackey] appears to be trying to revive the usage of guy that refers to being ill or badly dressed. She uses it this way in her books 'Unnatural Issue' (2011) and 'Gates of Sleep' (2002). I have also seen several examples of this usage by Dorothy Sayers in her [Peter Wimsey] novels (1923-1937) -- Mark 01:46, 19 Feb 2017

I wonder if this is due to the oversaturation of the use of the word these days, with people using it outside of formal contexts. I certainly would support the word "guy" going back to being a semi-pejorative, or at least unfriendly, way of referring to a man. Tharthan (talk) 03:29, 8 September 2019 (UTC)