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Well, I haven't said much, if anything really, on this subject, but I think I'd have to say that I don't care much for the name 'ayleur'. I would like to propose a name that has been surprisingly neglected as a possibility, but has a great deal to do with this website. We all ascribe to this moniker from time to time and I think it really gets down to the guts of what the site is all about, plus, the sound has a nice flavor to it. I propose we call ourselves wordsmiths.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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We all ascribe to this moniker from time to time ... I propose we call ourselves wordsmiths.Not all of us, Jazzoctopus.  I have never, and will never, call myself a wordsmith. The word carries an implication of skill and craftmanship in the use of words. My hubris doesn't stretch far enough for me to apply "wordsmith" to myself, even though it is undoubtedly apt for others.
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Much though I dislike having to say it, 'guys' or something equally neutral will probably do just fine. As I recall, the whole business started because someone wanted a more positive, or rousing way in which to get the attention of all the 'guys' here. Certainly the notion was not to exclude anybody by having a special word, or an 'in' group that nobody else could belong to. In fact, if, say, 'ayleur' had found favour, then by definition, anybody who posted here would be an 'ayleur' - all are welcome. As a second point - you are not necessarily defined by your appellation. I could be an ayleur, a temp, a man, a bachelor, a Brit, and many more things besides. What would get my goat, though, would be somebody deciding to treat me as if I was only, and exclusively, one of those things. I doubt that the 'guys' here are in danger of suffering from that - we know too much about the language, and about the Internet. To believe that anybody here is purely a 'guy' or an 'ayleur' would be so silly as to be almost surreal. (Actually, I have my doubts about Tsuwm - whom I strongly suspect of being one of Alan Turing's Universal Machines, or perhaps one of Rossum's Universal Robots?) cheer the sunshine warrior
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Carpal Tunnel
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"...Then let the trumpets sound the tucket sonance..."
I am the very model of the modern ayleur-general...
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Or General Problem-Solving Computer? (All Hail General PS 'Puter? Don't sPute wid de squinch-owl?)
Sigh of relief - this is the Wordplay and fun forum, so I'm allowed to be silly.
cheer
the sunshine ayleur
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Pooh-Bah
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who is a bear called Fred?
Sorry its taken so long to reply, Helen, - it's a reference to an old, tired joke about Bear parents whose new cub had very tatty fur, so they called him Fredbare.
It has, indeed, got a lot to do with the fact that I am a Londoner, by upbringing if not, strictly speaking, by birth. It is part of the London speech pattern to pronounce "th" as "f" if the initial letter or "v" if the final one.
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Pooh-Bah
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GuyI have to dissent from this appellation. To me - and possibly to any other Brit of fairly mature years - the term "guy" is mildly abusive. To be a "guy", to me, is to be garishly decked out and looking grotesque, particularly if you have achieved this appearance by trying too hard to look sophisticated and soignée. It is a reference, of course, to the stuffed effigy that is burned annually on the bonfires of England on November 5th to celebrate the death of the martyr who nobly tried to rid this country of an oppressive monarch. Also, as a verb, to "guy" someone is to make fun of them by parodying their actions. The musical "Guys and Dolls," together with other Americam influences, has made the word at least understood in its transatlantic sense, and, for younger people especially, made it respectable. Time for that glass of wine and fast embrace with Jackie, eh paulb?But I can't bring myself to be at ease with the term, any more than I like ayleur (mainly because the redundant "r" offends my sense of propriety  - sorry Max)
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Carpal Tunnel
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the term "guy" is mildly abusive.
Oh my goodness, I never knew that! Here, guy is a generic term for any male you don't know, as in "the computer guy",
"the telephone guy", or "the guy we saw at the mall". So,
guy doesn't carry any pejorative connotation at all, here.
If we knew the guy we saw, we'd say, "We saw John at the mall".
The things I learn at this place! Thank you all.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Don't get me wrong, Dearest Jackie! I wouldn't be offended if an american referred to me as a guy - indeed, I probably would n't be offended by anyone using the term - it's just that I wouldn't normally use it myself, especially not of myselfIf you want to test it out, meet me at Hernando's and say, "Hey there, guy, - would you like a glass of wine?" 
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Who can forget the Derek and the Domino's classic:
"L'Ayleur, you've got me on my knees..."
And the Dylan ballad:
"L'Ayleur delay
Lay across my big brass bed..."
Or maybe we should become a new political party - the mondeGreens? (No use of unreplenishable words. Recycle words and phrases where possible. Sustainable communication for all!)
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