>
> Rick, it's not a guy thing any more. Neither is guy, if it comes to
> that ("hey, you guys!" hasn't been gendered since early on in Sesame
> Street)
Yes, I have long understood that GUY is not gendered (except in certain
contexts)--and on the best of authorities--my mother told me way back
when I was a kid--which I have been citing to my students ever since.
>
> I'm doubtful of the "wimple" derivation, because "wimp" didn't come
> into currency until _long_ after anyone saw or talked about wimples.
> (And what about "rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing in his
> ecstasy"? Was Hopkins just faking it, there?)
>
I love the image of Hopkins faking it (ecstasy). So I must admit that my
source for this derivation is secondary (the essay read by one of our
colleagues, Erika Bauermeister, in the video "Writing Groups"--which,
incidentally, I often find quite useful for helping students
understanding how they can help each other in small group peer editing).
Erika had considerable trouble finding the etymology, but she does claim
eventually to have found the WIMPLE etymology in an etymological
dictionary (whether slang or general, I can't remember. Eventually, I'll
look back at the video; meanwhile does anyone have Erika's e-mail address?
