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From: greenber@acf4.UUCP (ross m. greenberg)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: beyond honorifics
Message-ID: <1870002@acf4.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 26-Jan-85 15:23:00 EST
Article-I.D.: acf4.1870002
Posted: Sat Jan 26 15:23:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Feb-85 11:43:00 EST
References: <4887@tektronix.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
Lines: 25

<>

From my understanding, the "honorific" 'guy' is actually not such an
honorific:

Over there in the Isles of the Brit's there was this fellah named Guy Fawkes
who had this idea that the House of Lords (British types --- correct me if
I'm wrong) shouldn't be in one piece.

So he decided to blow it up.  It never happened, of course, but the
anarchists over there have a holiday to celebrate once a year in honor
of his attempt.

When somebody was being scolded as not being trustworthy, they were called
"Guy's", which lost its capital letter somewhere along the way.

So calling somebody a "guy" is actually an insult.  (I think!)

Of course, I might be wrong (That happened once in 1968.....)

:-)


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Ross M. Greenberg  @ NYU   ----> { allegra,ihnp4 }!cmcl2!acf4!greenber  <----