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markrogerm t1_j8gk8hh wrote

“The term Guy derives from the French word “guie,” meaning guide or to guide found in use about 900 years ago. The Dutch, in the 1600's, began the use of “guy” in terms that we are more familiar with today” - shamelessly copied from some other source

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kracer20 t1_j8gl7w6 wrote

"Coming down the pike" is one that I didn't know for a long time. I wonder what other misunderstanding we can come up with?

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mcpoopy21 t1_j8glb4i wrote

Did you just assume these wires sexual identity? All seriousness we use guy wires that can be insanely long on towers.

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balmury t1_j8gmvh7 wrote

They know a guy…

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thunder_struck85 t1_j8gn3p9 wrote

Same as the ones securing your tent to the ground ... guy lines.

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kthulhu666 t1_j8gotvj wrote

'Scuse me, while I kiss this guide.

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wegqg t1_j8gq8n3 wrote

It's one of those phonetically similar words whose ending gets confused regularly.

Like duck tape / duct tape.

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Sdog1981 t1_j8gulfs wrote

I only know that because I read the instructions and people started to make fun of me for saying guy and not guide.

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V6Ga t1_j8h03iu wrote

Replying to wegqg (#1,804,269)

Duck/Duct Tape is interesting because it converges on that. It was originally two separate products, that resembled each other and so merged.

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CorneliusKvakk t1_j8hm3j9 wrote

Replying to V6Ga (#1,804,890)

I understand what they use duct tape for, but why would you need to develop a fabric tape for ducks?

Unless they copied the tape and gave it a slighly different "funny" name.

Edit: so it was made from cotton canvas (dutch "doek" -that's a Nice little rabbit hole 😃 wiki

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Sybrandus t1_j8i514m wrote

It’s also “but” and not “by”.

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hsvsunshyn t1_j8iajul wrote

Even better, "guy" comes from the French word "guie", which means "guide"!

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NickDoane t1_j8iddej wrote

I learned this studying to be an electrician.

Now 3x a year minimum I point off to one of them and Say "look at that guy"

Yes.

I am also a dad.

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TheInvisibleWun2 t1_j8ii12e wrote

I learnt it at six when I tripped over a guy wire when out camping with the family and coming back from the ablution block after showering. I had to go back for another shower after landing face down in the mud.

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Bormsie721 t1_j8j0vbg wrote

I'm guessing someone saw the video of the jeep going offroad

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ksdkjlf t1_j8jd3t2 wrote

Replying to V6Ga (#1,804,873)

I'm assuming they mean they only learned it was "pike" rather than "pipe" recently,.since it's a commonly cited mondegreen — or as reddit calls it, a r/BoneAppleTea.

Pike meaning "highway" is a shortening of turnpike, a term for a toll road most commonly encountered in the US Northeast, as u/jungl3j1m points out. So it's basically just "coming down the road". But to folks who don't call highways "pikes", it is often interpreted as "pipe".

A turnpike was originally a type of military defense that was used to stop horses or vehicles from going down a road — either like a cheval de fries or a turnstile — a set of pikes, turning around a central axis. Eventually it meant any sort of barrier, and then the road on which such a barrier might exist, i.e. a toll road.

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papaHans t1_j8jfvwy wrote

On sailboats, they are mostly called stays and the guy rope holds the spinnaker pole.

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V6Ga t1_j8ma5o0 wrote

Replying to ksdkjlf (#1,809,960)

But it is both, and this has been covered by people a couple times.

I say both, but I also had no idea how much my language was bent by having a dyed in the wool New England Yankee around from childhood.

Down the pike from roadways, and down the pipe from aqueducts, and later pneumatic tube messenging systems

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumatic_tube

In fact, some of the people following up on this thought it more likely to be down the pipe "originally" or at least dominantly as pneumatic tube messages just show up without warning, whereas anything coming down the highway gives ample warning before arrival.

Language is general is fun. Hawaii and New England share lots of weird similarities that the rest of the US apparently does not. For me Aunt does not rhyme with Ant (that's not so uncommon because Auntie never rhymes with anty). And apparently this is the New England way as well. Tomahto is also not uncommon and that too is a New Englandism. Zoris too.

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V6Ga t1_j8magca wrote

Replying to SturrPhox (#1,808,390)

In many important senses, PA, NJ, and NY are New England, because of the history.

Ohio also has or had a turnpike, but that's because Pennsylvania called theirs a turnpike.

I wonder if any states not connected to New England proper have turnpike other than Ohio.

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