guy

¹

[gahy]

noun

1. Informal.,  a man or boy; fellow.

   He's a nice guy.

2. Informal.,  none guys people, regardless of their gender.

   Could one of you guys help me with this?

3. Chiefly British Slang.,  a grotesquely dressed person.

4. British.,  Often Guy a grotesque effigy of Guy Fawkes that is paraded through the streets and burned on Guy Fawkes Day.

verb (used with object)

guyed, guying 

1. to jeer at or make fun of; ridicule.

guy

²

[gahy]

noun

1. a rope, cable, or appliance used to guide and steady an object being hoisted or lowered, or to secure anything likely to shift its position.

verb (used with object)

guyed, guying 

1. to guide, steady, or secure with a guy or guys.

Guy

³

[gahy, gee]

noun

1. a male given name: from a Germanic word meaning “woods.”

guy

¹

/ ɡaɪ /

noun

1. informal,  a man or youth

2. a crude effigy of Guy Fawkes, usually made of old clothes stuffed with straw or rags, that is burnt on top of a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day

3. a person in shabby or ludicrously odd clothes

4. informal,  (plural) persons of either sex

verb

1. (tr) to make fun of; ridicule

guy

²

/ ɡaɪ /

noun

1. a rope, chain, wire, etc, for anchoring an object, such as a radio mast, in position or for steadying or guiding it while being hoisted or lowered

verb

1. (tr) to anchor, steady, or guide with a guy or guys

Guy

³

/ ɡaɪ /

noun

1. Buddy, real name George Guy. born 1936, US blues singer and guitarist

GUY

⁴

abbreviation

1. Guyana (international car registration)

Word History and Origins

Origin of guy¹

First recorded in 1800–10; after Guy Fawkes

Origin of guy²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English gi(e), from Old French guie “a guide,” derivative of guier to guide

Word History and Origins

Origin of guy¹

C19: short for Guy _Fawkes

Origin of guy²

C14: probably from Low German; compare Dutch gei brail, geiblok pulley, Old French guie guide, from guier to _guide

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. give the guy to, to escape from (someone); give (someone) the slip.

Example Sentences

“These guys have earned the right to be able to have that. ... There’s a beauty in what these guys can do.”

From Los Angeles Times

“I fell on a fumble, it wasn’t mine, I recovered it, and a guy fell on top of me and almost split my sternum.”

From Los Angeles Times

The crime-fighting combo of a roguish guy and a no-nonsense gal is familiar from “Moonlighting” and “Castle.”

From Los Angeles Times

On the contrary, it makes him the perfect mockumentary subject: a guy with a worthy dream dismissed by those who want him to fail.

From Salon

“He was a big guy ... that was not enough bed for him,” adds Cherwick.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dude 
• fellow 
• lad 
• man