What does guy for meetings mean in the following sentence about a man who decreased his alcohol consumption?
Going cold turkey hasn't been easy, but Harry was never much of a guy for meetings.
Source: Michael A. Stackpole, 21 days to a novel.
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2 Answers
"To be a guy (man, woman, person, etc.) for X" means that X matches your tastes, personality, or interests.
Conversely, "to not be/never have been much of a person for X" means that X does not match your tastes, personality, or interests.
So the meaning of the sentence is that Harry stopped drinking by "going cold turkey" (completely stopped the behavior immediately, rather than gradually) and that it was difficult, but he preferred that method over attending Alcoholic's Anonymous (a social support group intended to help its members overcome alcohol addiction) meetings because he is a person who generally dislikes meetings (never much of a guy for meetings=he has never liked meetings).
Similarly, we can describe ourselves (or someone else) as a(n) (event, food, climate, etc.) person to express likes, personality, or interests.
Comparatively, we often use the phrase "more of a(n) _______ person."
A: Would you like to go with me to see a basketball game?
B: No, thank you. I'm more of a baseball person (than a basketball person).
Negatively, we use "is not/was never much of a(n) _______ person," as in your example.
A: I considered inviting Ted to the gym, but he's not much of an exercise person.
B: That's okay. I'm not much of a "Ted" person.
In context, was never much of a guy for meetings is likely a reference to the somewhat common practice of those who wish to stop drinking alcohol. To be more specific, it is likely referring to Harry's preference of not attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
