Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote -1 down vote favorite

Is it possible to use c'mon guy instead of c'mon man?

share|improve this question
5  
No, it's not possible. If you try to say it, your face will explode. – jwodder Mar 25 '12 at 22:53
It depends if you're a Cali bro – hohner Mar 25 '12 at 23:08
I don't understand the closevotes. I found 95 instances of "c'mon guy" in Google Books - so it's not totally unknown, even if it's rare compared to "c'mon man". – FumbleFingers Mar 26 '12 at 4:04

closed as not a real question by jwpat7, MrHen, cornbread ninja 麵包忍者, Daniel δ, MετάEd Mar 26 '12 at 3:47

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

You can't just substitute guy for man in such idiomatic expressions. For example, we don't use "Hey, guy!" as a greeting - it's "Hey, man!". And an "all right guy" is someone we approve of - if we're enthusiastically agreeing with someone we say "All right, man!".

Some people might think "Hey, c'mon guy!" is a bit more distant/hostile than the far more common "Hey, c'mon, man!", but I certainly wouldn't use guy there myself. If I was trying to talk down to the guy, I wouldn't want him thinking I didn't have a proper grasp of idiomatic language.

share|improve this answer
up vote -1 down vote

You can say "c'mon guy" but depending on the region "guy" might be seen as somewhat derogatory. It could be a response to someone who you hold little respect for, where "c'mon man" would be something you say to a friend.

share|improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.