Hardly anyone ever asks for my opinion, and even when they do they usually decide my opinion is ridiculous. But recently a reader asked me to comment on the use of the phrase “you guys.”

“Dear Mr. Stewart:

“For me, there are more than a few phrases that I dislike immensely. One of them is ‘you guys.’ It surprises me that women who consider themselves ‘liberated’ do not balk when addressed in this fashion!

“For the duration of the last presidential race, the majority of candidates addressed crowds of citizens as ‘you guys.” President and Mrs. Obama continue to address citizens in the same manner, post-election.

“I wrote to you because my dear, darling daughter, who is pregnant with twins, and her two sisters are tired of listening to my protestations on all of the above.

“Your opinion on this matter would be welcomed.

“A reader.”

Dear Reader: I’ve been protesting the inappropriate use of the phrase “you guys” for several years. Before that I protested the overuse of the phrase “have a nice day” when spoken to me by persons who had absolutely no interest in my day and merely were glad to see me go away. That led to many readers writing to tell me they could care less about my opinion. Which led to further columns protesting the misuse of the phrase “I could care less,” which clearly is the opposite of its intended meaning.

But back to “you guys.”

Nether the President nor Mrs. Obama has personally addressed my wife and I as “you guys,” but waiters and waitresses frequently do. They will, for instance, ask “would you guys like fresh cracked black pepper on your salads” because we must appear too feeble to crack our own peppers. They also keep informing us that they’ll be our server today, in case us guys can’t figure out why they’re standing at our table with a pad and pencil in their hands.

Before I leap to an opinion, though, I like to do as much research as possible which, in this case, meant Googling the word “guy.” According to the first entry in the online Mirriam-Webster dictionary, a guy is: “a rope, chain, rod, or wire attached to something as a brace or guide.”

So, clearly, it is not appropriate to use the phrase “you guys,” unless you happen to be addressing a group of ropes, chains, rods or wires.

Although I’m sure most readers could care less, I hope this opinion helps convince your dear, darling daughter — not to mention the other two — that you have a valid point.

And that you guys have nice day.

Contact this columnist at dlstew_2000@yahoo.com.