Words with Stories

guy (n.)

A guy is an ordinary word for a man or, in some uses, a person.

The word comes from Guy Fawkes. Effigies of him burned on November 5 came to be called guys. The word then spread to people who looked strange or badly dressed.12

In American English, guy became a general word for a man, and the plural guys later widened further in everyday speech.12

He seems like a nice guy.

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