I’ve been on a years-long search for a gender-neutral replacement noun for “guy,” “man,” “dude,” and “bro” that is just as versatile and snappy. A one-syllable word that can be recognized without much confusion, and can work in a number of ways, as filler, for emphasis, and to mean a specific person or type of person.
“You should see the other guy.”
“She’s my weed guy.”
“I’m telling you, man.”
“Man, what a game!”
“What’s up, dude?”
I think I’ve found it.
“Oik.”
It’s recognizable, even if archaic. It is gender-neutral. It represents lower classes, regular oiks. It’s not appropriation if you’ve ever had English ancestors! It CAN mean someone who is being rude, so it can double as an insult depending on context. Sounds punk AF.
“You should see the other oik.”
“She’s my weed oik.”
“I’m telling you, oik.”
“Oik, what a game!”
“What’s up, oik?”
It’s bubbling up fairly naturally in my mind, where no previous word has. So I’m going to start to use it, oik.
@corbden All the ways you have said "mate" being weird are all OK here.
It can be a friendly term, an agressive term or a random person term. We love it. Maybe you can start a movement!
@jellycrystals Mate is weird in the states. It’s oddly… too intimate? Sometimes people use it but less casually or only when referring to Australia. It’s also not great for adding an adjective or prefix to, like, “my computer guy,” or snowman, or as in “I know a guy.”
If other people started using mate that way here, I’d jump on board, but haven’t wanted to start it up myself.
Someone suggested “co” which was developed in a feminist intentional community in the 70s, link up-thread, and it works for all of the above PLUS as a pronoun. I’m liking that more now.