In England, November 5—Guy Fawkes Day—is celebrated by setting off fireworks and lighting bonfires. Human likenesses made of tattered clothes stuffed with hay or rags are burned on the bonfires. The day is named after a 17thcentury man, Guy Fawkes, who led a plot to blow up the British Parliament buildings. Fawkes managed to hide 20 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars of the buildings. However, the plot was discovered before he could carry out his plans. He was seized and later put to death. The human likenesses burned on the fi res came to be called guys. The verb guy “to ridicule” is derived from this story also. The use of the word was extended to similar figures and then to a person of strange appearance or dress. In the US, the word came to mean simply “man” and in time “a person of either sex.”
(informal) ADJECTIVE➤decent, friendly, funny, good, great, nice, sweet, wonderful正派人;友好的人;有趣的傢伙;好人;討人喜歡的人;可愛的傢伙➤cute, gorgeous, hot (especially NAmE) 可愛的傢伙;帥哥➤smart, wise (disapproving, both especially NAmE) 聰明的傢伙;自作聰明的人▸➤bad壞傢伙▸➤normal, ordinary, regular正常人;普通人;一般人◇Colleagues described the killer as 'just a regular guy'.同事們把殺手描述為“只是一個普通人”。➤poor可憐的人◇The poor guy is worn out.那個可憐的傢伙累壞了。➤big, little大個子/重要人物;小個子/小人物▸➤middle-aged, old, young中年人;老年人;年輕人▸➤black, white黑人;白人▸➤gay男同性戀者▸➤tough硬漢▸➤crazy瘋狂的傢伙