The Life of Guy : Guy Fawkes, the Gunpowder Plot, and the Unlikely History of an Indispensable Word

"Guy" and "guys" are used so ubiquitously in daily conversation, we scarcely notice them. But both derive from the name of England''s greatest terrorist, Guy Fawkes. Acclaimed expert on words Allan Metcalf dives deep into the strange and unprecedented history of America''s favorite and most controversial pronoun. Along the way, a cast of characters as interesting as Guy Fawkes himself make an appearance, including kings and queens of England, popes, George Washington, show tunes'' crooners, and today''s Occupy protesters.

Had you said "What a guy!" in 17th-century England, anyone would have understood you were admiring a flaming effigy of Guy Fawkes of the Gunpowder Treason Plot. How times have changed! In America and, indeed, most of the English-speaking world, "guy" is so embedded in daily speech that we scarcely notice how odd it truly is: a singular "guy" referring to males only, a plural "guys" encompassing the entire human race. The journey from England''s greatest villain to America''s favorite second-person plural pronoun offers a story rich with surprising and unprecedented turns. Through his trademark breezy, highly readable style, acclaimed writer Allan Metcalf takes us deep into this history, uncovering the intrigue, murderous plots, and torture out of which the word emerged in 1605. From there, it''s a thrilling run through 17th-century England, bloody religious controversies, and across the Atlantic to America, where the word took on a life of its own, exploding into popular culture and day-to-day conversation. From the disappearance of "thou," to George Washington and the American Revolution, to the modern revival of Guy Fawkes in V for Vendetta, Metcalf explores the improbable history of a simple word so indispensable to our daily lives, and that evokes deep insights into the evolution of English itself.