I have never really liked ‘guy’ as address. Dude is perfectly fine, we don’t need another one. Plus it has generally annoyed me because it typically is used by hipster pricks. It’s typically used by The kind of guys who work part time at a bike shop so they can kayak every day while living on daddies trust fund and act like that makes them more ‘real’ than you.
Something I realized today that I have never seen before, because it happened today. The chick at the store said “Okay, have a good day, guy” to me. I have never heard a girl use guy before, or at least never noticed. I really haven’t decided if it makes a difference that normal chick says “guy”, and it is moving toward more nuetral, or if it is still douchey.
What do yo think?
P.S. Im not talking about talking to someone you know. I mean saying it to a stranger.
I guess I always use it as a reference to a group, even a mixed gender group. A “hey guys, check this out” kinda thing. I don’t think I have ever used it the way you are talking, it sounds weird to me.
I guess I am now an “old lady” cause I would not expect a clerk at a store to say to my husband “have a nice day, guy”. Why not leave off the guy and just go with “have a nice day”.
Hmm, I think you mangled that a bit. It’s not “Here you go, chap”, it’s “Cheerio, old chap.” Every American knows that that’s how Brits speak. They also say “Blimey” and “What’s all this then?” a lot.
You’re welcome.
"I don’t hear “guy” that much, but I hate “big guy.”
Are you sure she didn’t say “Okay, have a good day, bye”?
I dislike ‘guy’ as well, but more because I feel bad for the speaker, as if they were trying to add a folksy, non-confrontational appendage to the comment (buddy? pal? sir? mister?) but the words got confused on the way out of the mouth and all they could come up with was ‘guy’.
I also hate “big guy”, but mainly because I’m only 5’9", and in the rare instances when someone calls me that, I get defensive like they’re trying to pick a fight.
There’s a “guy” at work, that has a problem remembering people’s names. He doesn’t want to be rude when passing an individual in the hallway, so when he passes someone he knows but can’t remember their name, he will just say, “Hey guy.” as a greeting.
Don’t get so hung up on it. They probably just forgot your name, or have never been introduced. Next time, say, “Thanks, the name’s wolfman.”
I use the “Hey guys!” thing and have always loved it, but of course I’ve never used it in the singular sense. I think that might be bothersome sounding too.
When not plural, “guy” is a dead giveaway that the person doesn’t know your name.
I’ve known a few guys named Guy, though. That’s a weird name for the above reason.
I wonder if this is a generational thing. When I am called “dude”, I see it as either condescending, or that the speaker is trying to be cool. And sometimes it is just a mistake, as when my daughter in law or sons use it. I then answer in my surfer dude voice.
On the other hand, I’ve used “guy” all of my life. The term is usually used for males, but can be used for either gender. (I especially used this term in my labs while teaching…as in “Hey you Guys”
Guy was once definitely pejorative in England as it referred to Guy Fawkes, or more specifically to the effigies of him being burned on Guy Fawkes’ Day. Somehow as “guy” crossed to the U.S., it lost that connotation.
I never would address somebody, “Hey, guy!”, but for some reason, “Hey, guys!” for a group seems fine to me.
While we were living in Australia, he was at the office and some man my dad had never seen before walked in the door and nodded a greeting to him. Being a friendly person, my father responded “Hi, guy.” The man looked taken aback and stopped in his tracks. “Do I know you?”
“No, you nodded at me.”
“You haven’t seen me around? Heard anyone talk about me?”
“No, no, I’m new here. I don’t know anyone hardly.”
“Then how did you know my name?”
Yup, the guys name was Guy. They actually became pretty decent friends after that. Guy was so confused because people don’t say “Hi Guy” in Australia, and don’t really refer to men as “guys” in the general sense. My father wasn’t a hipster douche-bag, for what it’s worth.
How is Guy supposed to be pronounced? I once knew a, uh, person by that name, and he insisted that the pronunciation rhymed with bee rather than buy. Much like the “proper” way of pronouncing Ralph would be Rafe, what is the original pronunciation?
Maybe it’s also a bit of a regional thing? I’m not sure where the OP is, but I grew up in southern New Hampshire (and lived there through 2005), and I can personally testify that “guy” got quite a bit of usage in my social circle. It essentially took the place of “man” or “dude”, and no offense was intended in its usage. “What’s up, guy?” is probably how I would greet most of my friends from there to this day. I should emphasize “most”, because not all of my friends use it. Curiously, IME, its usage actually appears to have increased in recent years, though that might be because I used “dude” a heck of a lot more back in the 90s (“dude” is hardly ever used by me nowadays).
