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Discussion Groups / English Usage / February 2010Extravagant Question: Guys and ...
What is the pair word for "Guy" according to female. >What is the pair word for "Guy" according to female. Gal.  SignatureTony Cooper - Orlando, Florida > >What is the pair word for "Guy" according to female. > > Gal. > -- > Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida Thanks, certainly it is in my English - Russian, but not in Russian - English Dictionary (ABBYY Lingvo 12). >> What is the pair word for "Guy" according to female. > > Gal. Interesting. For a non-rhotic speaker like me "gal" has much the same sound as "girl", but for you (I'd guess) it sounds very different. If so, how come "girl" has been converted into a non-rhotic equivalent? Do you think of "gal" as a distorted pronunciation of "girl", or as something quite different? In my grandmother's time "gel" (with a hard g) was common in upper-class BrE, but I don't suppose she'd ever have said "guy". Signatureathel > >> What is the pair word for "Guy" according to female. > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > -- > athel In the Queen's English, do "girl" and "gel" sound almost exactly the same? That is, is the "e" a place-holding vowel with almost no specific sound to it? That spelling confused me mightily when I encountered it in novels (was it Christie?). American "gal" is pronounced /g&l/; "girl" is /gRl/. American Heritage says that "gal" is an "alteration of girl." >> On 2010-02-17 18:28:44 +0100, tony cooper <tony_cooper...@earthlink.net> > said: [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > same? That is, is the "e" a place-holding vowel with almost no > specific sound to it? The form is virtually dead, and I doubt whether even the Queen uses it today. However, when it was used the e was a definite /e/, somewhat lengthened (i.e. a bit longer than in the current word "gel" with soft g, which is not noticeably different from the first syllable of "jelly". Definitely more than a schwa. > That spelling confused me mightily when I > encountered it in novels (was it Christie?). Quite likely to be Christie, I would think. It's the sort of spelling she might have used to indicate that someone (most likely a woman; my impression is that it wasn't ever used much by men, but I may be wrong about that) was very old-fashioned. Signatureathel > What is the pair word for "Guy" according to female. Doll, according to the classic musical. With best wishes, Peter. SignaturePeter Young, (BrE, RP), Consultant Anaesthetist, 1975-2004. (US equivalent: Certified Anesthesiologist) Cheltenham and Gloucester, UK. Now happily retired. http://pnyoung.orpheusweb.co.uk >> What is the pair word for "Guy" according to female. > > Doll, according to the classic musical. That would certainly be the American pairing, but in Britain it would normally be 'Gal' - it would depend on the circumstances though. >>> What is the pair word for "Guy" according to female. >> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > would normally be 'Gal' - it would depend on the circumstances > though. My mother preferred "gal", because that is how she referred to herself and her pals. They scoffed at "doll", which they defined as "an empty-headed plaything". As for that musical play...well, Broadway to Hollywood. Good songs, bad acting. >> What is the pair word for "Guy" according to female. > >Doll, according to the classic musical. Doesn't "Guys and Dolls" include a description of who calls them dolls? Something like, "If they ..., we's calls them dolls." I havent' seen the show since 1977, but I remember that part. I think it was a set of fictional gamblers, but maybe real horsebetters use the same term. >With best wishes, > >Peter. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >> What is the pair word for "Guy" according to female. > >Doll, according to the classic musical. > >With best wishes, "Doll" may have worked in Damon Runyon's day, but it isn't really acceptable today. It's not really offensive, but - like "chick", "babe", and "broad" - it's not going to go over that well with most females. "Gals" seems to be a word that older women use more than younger women do. Older women "go out with the gals" when they are not "going out with the girls", but younger women seem to go out with the guys. Some of the guys the younger women go out with are female. Twice yesterday a young female addressed my wife and I as "guys". One was a waitress who asked us "What would you guys like to drink" and the other one was clerk in a store who ask "Can I help you guys?". It's not rude, but it is a bit off-putting. SignatureTony Cooper - Orlando, Florida On 17 Feb 2010, tony cooper wrote > Twice yesterday a young female addressed my wife and I as > "guys". ObAEU and Oy. "addressed my wife and I as..."? Really, Tony. SignatureCheers, Harvey CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed > On 17 Feb 2010, tony cooper wrote > >> Twice yesterday a young female addressed my wife and I as >> "guys". > > ObAEU and Oy. "addressed my wife and I as..."? Really, Tony. You're being very harsh, we all make the odd slip now and again. ;-) In fact, in many parts of rural England that would be considered the accepted construction. "Ee said to I" "I said to ee", etc. The accusative case still hasn't reached some of those outlying areas. Except for the third person singular feminine, where it's usually the other way round! "Er thinks er's clever, but er's as daft as a brush, the missus". >> On 17 Feb 2010, tony cooper wrote >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >You're being very harsh, we all make the odd slip now and again. ;-) You think Oy and Really are very harsh? What would be mild? >In fact, in many parts of rural England that would be considered the >accepted construction. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >"Er thinks er's clever, but er's as daft as a brush, the missus". SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >>> On 17 Feb 2010, tony cooper wrote >>> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > You think Oy and Really are very harsh? What would be mild? It was meant to be slightly ironic. On 18 Feb 2010, Farmer Giles wrote >>>> On 17 Feb 2010, tony cooper wrote >>>> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > It was meant to be slightly ironic. I picked up on that -- them emoticon thingies *do* have a use, sometimes.... SignatureCheers, Harvey CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed >On 18 Feb 2010, Farmer Giles wrote > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >I picked up on that -- them emoticon thingies *do* have a use, >sometimes.... I thought the smiley applied to the second clause. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >>>> On 17 Feb 2010, tony cooper wrote >>>> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >It was meant to be slightly ironic. Mildly magnetic? Signature(¯`·. ®óñ© © ²°¹° .·´¯) >>>>> On 17 Feb 2010, tony cooper wrote >>>>> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Mildly magnetic? Perhaps, with rustic overtones! >On 17 Feb 2010, tony cooper wrote > >> Twice yesterday a young female addressed my wife and I as >> "guys". > >ObAEU and Oy. "addressed my wife and I as..."? Really, Tony. I'd apologize if it was a slip, but - fact is - I probably say it that way 95% of the time. SignatureTony Cooper - Orlando, Florida On 18 Feb 2010, tony cooper wrote >> On 17 Feb 2010, tony cooper wrote >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > I'd apologize if it was a slip, but - fact is - I probably say > it that way 95% of the time. I probably wouldn't even notice it outside of t'groops... SignatureCheers, Harvey CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed > Twice yesterday a young female addressed my wife and I as "guys". One > was a waitress who asked us "What would you guys like to drink" and > the other one was clerk in a store who ask "Can I help you guys?". > It's not rude, but it is a bit off-putting. Americans have become accustomed to the unisex meaning of "guys". GFH >> Twice yesterday a young female addressed my wife and I as "guys". One >> was a waitress who asked us "What would you guys like to drink" and [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >GFH Yes, it goes back at least to 1961, when I heard one girl call a bunch of other girls "you guys". SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >>> Twice yesterday a young female addressed my wife and I as "guys". One >>> was a waitress who asked us "What would you guys like to drink" and [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >> >>GFH > Yes, it goes back at least to 1961, when I heard one girl call a bunch > of other girls "you guys". Or (and we've been here before) "youse guys". With best wishes, Peter. SignaturePeter Young, (BrE, RP), Consultant Anaesthetist, 1975-2004. (US equivalent: Certified Anesthesiologist) Cheltenham and Gloucester, UK. Now happily retired. http://pnyoung.orpheusweb.co.uk >> Twice yesterday a young female addressed my wife and I as "guys". One >> was a waitress who asked us "What would you guys like to drink" and >> the other one was clerk in a store who ask "Can I help you guys?". >> It's not rude, but it is a bit off-putting. > > Americans have become accustomed to the unisex meaning of "guys". Maybe in the North, but less so in the South, although "guys" seems to have made inroads into Kentucky in the past couple of years. Servers seem to say "you guys" a lot more now instead of "you all". Calling me and my wife "guys" still sounds very wrong to me. Bill in Kentucky >>> Twice yesterday a young female addressed my wife and I as "guys". One >>> was a waitress who asked us "What would you guys like to drink" and [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >seem to say "you guys" a lot more now instead of "you all". Calling me >and my wife "guys" still sounds very wrong to me. Canadians use that a lot (especially the new immigrants and newly -coined citizens trying to bed in) Signature(¯`·. ®óñ© © ²°¹° .·´¯) >>>> Twice yesterday a young female addressed my wife and I as "guys". One >>>> was a waitress who asked us "What would you guys like to drink" and [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >Canadians use that a lot (especially the new immigrants and >newly -coined citizens trying to bed in) "trying to bed in" ???? SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >>>Maybe in the North, but less so in the South, although "guys" seems to >>>have made inroads into Kentucky in the past couple of years. Servers [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >"trying to bed in" ???? From horticulture - flowers planted in a flower bed are "bedded in" when they have established roots in their new location. SignatureJohn Ritson >>>>Maybe in the North, but less so in the South, although "guys" seems to >>>>have made inroads into Kentucky in the past couple of years. Servers [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > From horticulture - flowers planted in a flower bed are "bedded in" when >they have established roots in their new location. I have always assumed that the origin is from a person becoming comfortable in bed. The usages I have met are those described below. http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1 861686018 bed in transitive and intransitive verb Definition: settle into place: to settle something firmly into place, or fit firmly into place http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bed+in bed in vb 1. (Engineering / General Engineering) (preposition) Engineering to fit (parts) together accurately or (of parts) to be fitted together, either through machining or use, as in fitting a bearing to its shaft 2. (preposition) to make or become settled and able to work efficiently in harmony SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.english.usage) >>>>>Maybe in the North, but less so in the South, although "guys" seems to >>>>>have made inroads into Kentucky in the past couple of years. Servers [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > 2. (preposition) to make or become settled and able to work > efficiently in harmony Well thanks. I know the meaning even if maybe not the origin. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >>>>> Twice yesterday a young female addressed my wife and I as "guys". One >>>>> was a waitress who asked us "What would you guys like to drink" and [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > "trying to bed in" ???? An expression commonly used in England (not in the US?), although generally not in regard to people. |
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