Guy Fawkes trivia
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2025 8:46 pm
The word "guy" didn't originally just mean a generic man. It comes from Guy Fawkes, the infamous Englishman who was part of the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, an attempt to blow up Parliament.
After the plot was foiled, people started burning effigies of him on Guy Fawkes Night (November 5th). These crude effigies were called "guys", and the term gradually became slang for anyone dressed oddly or looking suspicious. Over time, it lost the negative connotation and broadened to mean any male person—and eventually, in American English, it became a casual way to refer to anyone, male or female: "Hey guys!"
So yeah, blame Guy Fawkes for why you're a “guy.”
After the plot was foiled, people started burning effigies of him on Guy Fawkes Night (November 5th). These crude effigies were called "guys", and the term gradually became slang for anyone dressed oddly or looking suspicious. Over time, it lost the negative connotation and broadened to mean any male person—and eventually, in American English, it became a casual way to refer to anyone, male or female: "Hey guys!"
So yeah, blame Guy Fawkes for why you're a “guy.”