When addressing my friends who are all female, can I say guys? Like have a good day guys!
Use of guys
Listen TC here is some link which you can use it:
guy Show phonetics
noun [C]
1 INFORMAL a man:
He's a really nice guy.
Do you mean the guy with the blonde hair and glasses?
2 MAINLY US guys used to address a group of people of either sex:
Come on, you guys, let's go.
3 in the UK, a model of a man that is burnt on a large fire on Guy Fawkes Night
guy Show phonetics
noun [C]
1 INFORMAL a man:
He's a really nice guy.
Do you mean the guy with the blonde hair and glasses?
2 MAINLY US guys used to address a group of people of either sex:
Come on, you guys, let's go.
3 in the UK, a model of a man that is burnt on a large fire on Guy Fawkes Night
Two years ago Jim postem here Cambridge dictionary I think that it's very useful:http://dictionary.cambridge.org/results.asp?searchword=guys
Sometimes it can be offensive to women if you refer to them as guys. You also can't say girls and I personally hate "gals". I would say the best is if you use "chicas".
"When addressing my friends who are all female, can I say guys? Like have a good day guys! "
One of the problems with English generally, is when you can use 'slang' and when you should use proper English.
To refer to 'girls' or 'girls and guys' as 'guys' is slang.
To refer to a group of people who are all girls as 'guys' is stretching it a bit.
To refer to 'people' as 'guys' is a bit of an Americanism anyway.
One of the problems with English generally, is when you can use 'slang' and when you should use proper English.
To refer to 'girls' or 'girls and guys' as 'guys' is slang.
To refer to a group of people who are all girls as 'guys' is stretching it a bit.
To refer to 'people' as 'guys' is a bit of an Americanism anyway.
Yes, you can do it, and most people won't think anything of it. Those who would are overthinking it too much! Because it happens all the time in real life....
Sadly Uriel is right - it does happen all the time in real life, atleast here in England. 3 years ago you'd NEVER hear a mixed sex group or a group of girls being referred to as "guys" but now this annoying and in my opinion inappropriate term is EVERYWHERE, replacing the wonderfully English "you lot" for example.
It doesn't bother me one jot to hear American's use it as it is such a quintessentialy American usage, and they can talk however they like but oh to hear my fellow English use it (all the bloody time) annoys the absolute hell out of me. Can't we come up with our own words anymore??
Definitely top of my worst Americanisms list.
It doesn't bother me one jot to hear American's use it as it is such a quintessentialy American usage, and they can talk however they like but oh to hear my fellow English use it (all the bloody time) annoys the absolute hell out of me. Can't we come up with our own words anymore??
Definitely top of my worst Americanisms list.
The word "guy" isn't quinessentially Americans. It's quintessentially British, it's just that the Americans adopted from the British and also use it. So when the British use "guy" they are using a slang term coined in Britain.
The word "guy" actually comes from Guy Fawkes, a Catholic terrorist who, along with his henchmen, tried to blow up King James I and Parliament on 5th November 1605.
Nowadays it's traditional in Britain to celebrate Guy Fawkes's failure to commit this act. Children make life-size effigies of Guy Fawkes - they are a bit like scarecrows but looking vaguely like Guy Fawkes - and carry the effigies through the streets in the weeks running up to Guy Fawkes Night (5th November) asking passers-by for "Pennies for the Guy."
Now, most of these Guys look scruffy, grotesque and weird.
And, by 1836, it became normal in Britain to call any person who looks scruffy or weird or grotesque a "guy".
Over time, the word became used to describe anybody, so that you could call anybody "guy" and, at some point, the Americans also adopted the word.
So "guy" is very much a Britishism, not an Americanism.
The word "guy" actually comes from Guy Fawkes, a Catholic terrorist who, along with his henchmen, tried to blow up King James I and Parliament on 5th November 1605.
Nowadays it's traditional in Britain to celebrate Guy Fawkes's failure to commit this act. Children make life-size effigies of Guy Fawkes - they are a bit like scarecrows but looking vaguely like Guy Fawkes - and carry the effigies through the streets in the weeks running up to Guy Fawkes Night (5th November) asking passers-by for "Pennies for the Guy."
Now, most of these Guys look scruffy, grotesque and weird.
And, by 1836, it became normal in Britain to call any person who looks scruffy or weird or grotesque a "guy".
Over time, the word became used to describe anybody, so that you could call anybody "guy" and, at some point, the Americans also adopted the word.
So "guy" is very much a Britishism, not an Americanism.
<<So "guy" is very much a Britishism, not an Americanism.>>
If you're going to quibble, then do it to the bitter end. The male proper name is from French "Guy", so "guy" is a Frenchism.
But in turn "Guy" comes from the Italian name "Guido". So "Guy" is an Italianism.
But then again, "Guido" stems from Proto-Germanic "Wit". So "Guido" is a Protogermanism.
</Reductio ad absurdum>
If you're going to quibble, then do it to the bitter end. The male proper name is from French "Guy", so "guy" is a Frenchism.
But in turn "Guy" comes from the Italian name "Guido". So "Guy" is an Italianism.
But then again, "Guido" stems from Proto-Germanic "Wit". So "Guido" is a Protogermanism.
</Reductio ad absurdum>
I know the name of Guy, as in Guy Fawkes, is French. Or at least it derives from the French.
Though we are talking about the word "guy" meaning "man". And it is British, not American.
Though we are talking about the word "guy" meaning "man". And it is British, not American.
Adam - you just contradicted yourself. You said that the British meaning of "guy" was "man". That's the point geezer, it now (rather annoyingly) means mixed sexed groups and (even more annoyingly) is used as a greeting by girls to ...........girls!!!
What utter bollocks. Like it or lump it my stoich English friend but what we have is another UNDENIABLE Americanism. It is of American origin that this word is now used the way it is - FACTAROONEY!!! And I hate it. In-fact from this moment onwards I will now use the word Lads as a uni-sex word. Ok lads???
What utter bollocks. Like it or lump it my stoich English friend but what we have is another UNDENIABLE Americanism. It is of American origin that this word is now used the way it is - FACTAROONEY!!! And I hate it. In-fact from this moment onwards I will now use the word Lads as a uni-sex word. Ok lads???
Lads and lassies ;)
blokes and birds
guys and (obviously) guys!
Where have all girls gone?
LOL
blokes and birds
guys and (obviously) guys!
Where have all girls gone?
LOL
Guy is a pretty informal word as it is. If you're in a situation that you'd use "guy" for a group of guys, then you can probably use it for women too. I like to be a little more creative with my language, so I suppose I'd say "ladies", "chicas", "peeps", "fools", or something like that, depending on the context.