I've heard the term Guy applied to men in Australia for a lot of my life. It's not a term I use very often except perhaps if I'm saying Good Guys and Bad Guys. Even then I'll most likely say Goodies or Baddies. Over the last few years the term has become so common and is applied not only to men but virtually anything. It gets on my goat, something shocking, when educated TV/Radio announcers/presenters use the word to death. Some examples. I was listening to the cricket playing on the radio whilst doing some stuff in my shed. Commentator 1: Full ball, clipped off his feet, straight to the guy out there, who misfields and allows a single. Commentator 2: Yes, that was a bad misfield by the guy.... Me: WTF? What's the blokes name you idiots? Where is he fielding you idiots? It's bloody radio you idiots, I can't see who the bloody 'guy' is or where he is fielding. Example 2 I was standing at the sink rinsing some dishes and the local Morning Show was on TV. I could hear the TV but not see it. Presenter 1: We'll be crossing to the guys at the weather desk shortly. Actually, we'll cross to the guys now. Hi guys. The weather desk presenters in unison: Hi guys. The rest of the presenters sitting around Presentor 1. Hi guys. Me: Like seriously, if I hear the word guy one more time I'm going to go beserk! How the hell do blind people ever know the names of anyone on this idiotic show? Example 3 and probably a time that really made me shake my head as this woman was presenting a Nature Show aimed at children. Presentor (holding a baby animal of some kind.) When these guys are born they are dependent on their mother for many months. If the little guys were to lose their mother... (Camera pans out to larger specimens of the animal she is holding) Those guys over there are a few months older than this little guy. You can see the guys are able to feed for themselves unlike this guy. Luckily, I had the remote close by so I could change the channel, rather than kick my TV screen in. Not only was I sick of hearing the word guy I felt for the young audience that will now probably refer to every animal they come across as guy. Why the producers of these shows allow such atrocious presenting of their shows, is beyond me.
Perhaps I shouldn't have said I despise the term. In fact what I do and or should despise is educated people using the term as an adjective for anything and everything. You don't have to be educated if you call evey thing a guy. This guy, that guy, those guys, them guys, all the guys.... Seriously, it drives me nuts.
Us young folk prefer "dude" - Guy Fawkes was a cool dude - Until they burned him, then of course he was a hot guy.
Its only a name. We have a store here named The Good Guys - Online Electrical & Home Appliances Bob .
I was being served in a super market. As I walked up to the check out chick she welcomed me with "Hey Guy". I didn't know what to say, so didn't say anything.
I'd have just given her my former teacher's 'death stare'. Mind you, to be fair, I think "check out chick" is just as bad as 'guy'. Anyway, virtually all Americanisms drive me nuts and sound bad enough coming out of their mouths but absolutely unforgiveable coming from a British one. Currently, and for the past few years, 'my bad' has totally boiled my piss...
David, you are so bad . . . David Camoron has taken the 'guys' label on board when addressing a CBI conference (and others no doubt). I don't hold with all this 'cool' talk. I don't see it as an evolution of a language, just a bastardisation of a perfectly adequate and good one.
David and Derek, The one thing you could count on the educated Toffs of an England not so long ago, was that they wouldn't betray their education and place in society, by talking like a commoner. I'm more common than commoners but I liked that in the Toffs. They generally spoke very correct English and you felt the language was safe in their hands. It seems every new 'cool' phrase that comes out of an American news reporters mouth is quickly pounced upon by reporters from the English speaking world. A new one that comes to mind, and if I hear it again my TV may be in danger, is 'boots on the ground' instead of troops. Jesus H Christ. Most reporters love to hear themselves say it and they put it in at every possible sentence they can. David, she deserved her title as Check Out Chick. If she had of said, G'day mate, hello, good morning etc, etc, I would have said the lovely young lady....
Not any longer - quite a few of them now inject as many glottal stops as possible into their speech. It beats me why; maybe they want to sound as 'street' as possible in the mistaken belief they're more credible wiv the yoof of today. A good book worth reading is 'How Not To Talk Like An Arse' by Richard Wilson. This lists 101 'arse-isms' mainly from the worlds of American business and sport which are creeping into British English. Any one of these words or phrases issuing from the mouth of someone in this country should be rewarded by the dastardly perpetrator being swiftly taken 'round the back' and a lethal injection administered forthwith. I could probably add another 101 of my own - 'erbs, tayt a tayt, Jargwarr, could of, gunnoo, tryna, etc., etc. (or, as you often see, ect., ect.). God give me strength...
David, It's just not the Toffs that are dropping the ball. Paul Hogan of Crocodile Dundee fame, was in Australia a few weeks ago doing stand up comedy. Now this bloke has made a few hundred million plying his ockerisms around the world as a run of the mill, every day knockabout Aussie. One of his performances were shown on TV. I watched the show, as it turns out for a short time. A few minutes into his routine he used the word guy. I thought to myself, No, not you too Paul! Then I thought, Nah, it must have been a slip of the tongue, old son. A few minutes later he repeated the word saying "The guys over there..." This time I was mortified and felt betrayed by the bloke that I thought was immune to Americanisms. Hence, the reason I only watched the show for a short time. I tuned in to watch Paul Hogan speak his ockerisms, not speak Americanisms. BTW: I hope any Americans reading what's posted here understand my thoughts on Americanisms apply to Australia. My thoughts are not meant to be taken as derogative of Americans and their use of their language. However Americans wish to express themselves is just fine with me. It's about educated Australian people with an audience of millions murdering the Australian way of speak and influencing younger Australians to forget they live in Australia, not America - all because they heard it on American TV and thought it sounded cool. Of course, being cool, is to be popular.
If I am ever in the company of a TV presenter who says "give it up for......" or "make some noise for.......", I shall feel duty bound to punch them in the face. Repeatedly. Terry
Ha!!! Terry, I was going to mention the same. Where the heck did "Give it up for . . ' come from? What was wrong with, 'Show your appreciation for . . . . ' or 'A round of applause for . . . .' ?? Unfortunately, the 'give it up' phrase is now being used on British TV shows. There is nothing wrong with what the US uses in the US, but I deplore the English language being adulterated in this country. The US TV shows and films (not movies!) are bound to have a huge influence over here and so the Americanisms should be expected, but I don't like it. Yes, I know, I am a dinosaur!
Language is a living thing and it developes sometimes even in ways we dont like. In a way under the rules of Darwin. Ex. Fornication Under Consent of the King has spread like a plague all over the World and is becoming generally accepted. You almost cant open your tv without hearing the shortening several times and more detailed describing language is lost that way all over, as when guy is used wrong and all the time. Claus C
My pet hate is the constant use of the term "train station". For heavens sake, it's a railway station!
I could bug the hell out of you guys! I guess we all have our pet hates. Mine is folk starting sentences with 'So' & in restaurants 'Can I get...' (outside of the USA of course)
I guess it all dates back to the Dutch: "trein station" As far as I know both countries the us of a and down under could have Dutch as native language ;-))) Happy new year to all you GUYS and girls ! Foremost good health ! good light, good companions, good drink, good food,
