Fact of the day

[cimorene]

One of the books I was reading lately was old enough to include an example of when "guy" was still an insult, specifically (in that context) meaning "fool". Love that little slice of word history.

I think it must've been the Mapp & Lucia series (1930s). But it could've been from the Irish RM books (1890s).

*I have been reading some much older than that - medieval romances; but they're all in translation from old French, so no vocabulary history is demonstrated.

Comments

[oracne]

Neat!

[phosfate]

There was a brief period in the 60s/70s when "guy" was an insult among American children. "Guyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy," prounounced as one would, "Duhhhhhhhhhhh" or "Doiiiiiiiiiiii." But unlike the last two, the meaning was more, "you are a fucking idiot" rather than, "everybody knows that."

[cimorene]

Omg, I had no idea of that! That's fantastic!