diff --git a/src/ops/expr.c b/src/ops/expr.c
index 08061f65..b4aa5cce 100644
--- a/src/ops/expr.c
+++ b/src/ops/expr.c
@@ -508,7 +508,7 @@ bool     ray_expr_disable; /* test knob: force the fallback path */
 static void expr_stats_dump(void) {
     static const char* names[EXPR_BAIL__N] = {
         "root-shape", "graph-size", "depth", "regs", "ins",
-        "mapcommon", "str", "nulls", "slice", "sym-domain",
+        "mapcommon", "str", "guid", "nulls", "slice", "sym-domain",
         "const", "null-shape", "other",
     };
     fprintf(stderr, "expr_compile ok=%llu\n",
@@ -646,6 +646,12 @@ bool expr_compile(ray_graph_t* g, ray_t* tbl, ray_op_t* root, ray_expr_t* out) {
                 if (!col) EXPR_BAIL(EXPR_BAIL_OTHER);
                 if (col->type == RAY_MAPCOMMON) EXPR_BAIL(EXPR_BAIL_MAPCOMMON);
                 if (col->type == RAY_STR) EXPR_BAIL(EXPR_BAIL_STR); /* RAY_STR needs string comparison path */
+                /* GUID cells are 16-byte blobs the fused program has no
+                 * loads or compares for — without this bail the compiled
+                 * expression read garbage and predicates silently
+                 * matched nothing.  The unfused executor compares GUIDs
+                 * correctly. */
+                if (col->type == RAY_GUID) EXPR_BAIL(EXPR_BAIL_GUID);
                 if (col->attrs & RAY_ATTR_SLICE)     EXPR_BAIL(EXPR_BAIL_SLICE);
                 /* Length-1 columns used as scalar broadcasts are handled by the
                  * fallback's exec_elementwise_binary (which has vec/scalar routing).
@@ -3395,6 +3401,44 @@ ray_t* exec_elementwise_binary(ray_graph_t* g, ray_op_t* op, ray_t* lhs, ray_t*
         }
     }
 
+    /* GUID comparison: 16-byte cells, memcmp equality.  Without this
+     * branch a guid predicate fell into the numeric loops, which read
+     * the cells at the wrong width and silently matched nothing.  Only
+     * == and != are defined for guid operands here (cmp.c orders guid
+     * ATOMS, but a ranged guid predicate over a column has no use). */
+    {
+        bool l_guid = (l_scalar ? (lhs->type == -RAY_GUID || lhs->type == RAY_GUID)
+                                : lhs->type == RAY_GUID);
+        bool r_guid = (r_scalar ? (rhs->type == -RAY_GUID || rhs->type == RAY_GUID)
+                                : rhs->type == RAY_GUID);
+        if (l_guid || r_guid) {
+            uint16_t opc = op->opcode;
+            if (!l_guid || !r_guid) {
+                ray_release(result);
+                return ray_error("type", "expr eval: cannot compare %s and %s",
+                                 ray_type_name(lhs->type), ray_type_name(rhs->type));
+            }
+            if (opc != OP_EQ && opc != OP_NE) {
+                ray_release(result);
+                return ray_error("type", "expr eval: guid operands support only == and !=");
+            }
+            uint8_t* out = (uint8_t*)ray_data(result);
+            const uint8_t* lb = (lhs->type == -RAY_GUID)
+                              ? (const uint8_t*)ray_data(lhs->obj)
+                              : (const uint8_t*)ray_data(lhs);
+            const uint8_t* rb = (rhs->type == -RAY_GUID)
+                              ? (const uint8_t*)ray_data(rhs->obj)
+                              : (const uint8_t*)ray_data(rhs);
+            for (int64_t i = 0; i < len; i++) {
+                const uint8_t* lp = lb + (l_scalar ? 0 : i * 16);
+                const uint8_t* rp = rb + (r_scalar ? 0 : i * 16);
+                uint8_t eq = (memcmp(lp, rp, 16) == 0) ? 1 : 0;
+                out[i] = (opc == OP_EQ) ? eq : (uint8_t)!eq;
+            }
+            return result;
+        }
+    }
+
     /* Reject string atom in arithmetic context (only comparisons are valid). */
     {
         bool l_atom_str = (l_scalar && lhs->type == -RAY_STR);
diff --git a/src/ops/internal.h b/src/ops/internal.h
index 9699add5..6f7ccb66 100644
--- a/src/ops/internal.h
+++ b/src/ops/internal.h
@@ -771,7 +771,8 @@ typedef struct {
 
 typedef enum {
     EXPR_BAIL_ROOT = 0, EXPR_BAIL_SIZE, EXPR_BAIL_DEPTH, EXPR_BAIL_REGS,
-    EXPR_BAIL_INS, EXPR_BAIL_MAPCOMMON, EXPR_BAIL_STR, EXPR_BAIL_NULLS,
+    EXPR_BAIL_INS, EXPR_BAIL_MAPCOMMON, EXPR_BAIL_STR, EXPR_BAIL_GUID,
+    EXPR_BAIL_NULLS,
     EXPR_BAIL_SLICE, EXPR_BAIL_SYM_DOMAIN, EXPR_BAIL_CONST,
     EXPR_BAIL_NULL_SHAPE, /* nullable program hit a not-yet-null-capable instruction */
     EXPR_BAIL_OTHER, EXPR_BAIL__N
diff --git a/src/ops/string.c b/src/ops/string.c
index f7c1e16c..e76ea8d3 100644
--- a/src/ops/string.c
+++ b/src/ops/string.c
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 #include "ops/rowsel.h"
 #include "core/pool.h"
 #include "lang/format.h"   /* ray_type_name (error context) */
+#include "lang/internal.h" /* ray_like_fn (list-of-strings delegate) */
 
 /* ============================================================================
  * OP_LIKE: glob pattern matching on STR / SYM columns.  See ops/glob.[ch].
@@ -738,8 +739,21 @@ ray_t* exec_like(ray_graph_t* g, ray_op_t* op) {
                           : ray_glob_match(sp, sl, pat_str, pat_len)) ? 1 : 0;
             }
         }
+    } else if (in_type == RAY_LIST) {
+        /* List of string/symbol atoms — the shape splayed string columns
+         * load as (col_load_str_list).  Delegate to the builtin, which
+         * owns the list branch. */
+        ray_release(result);
+        ray_t* r = ray_like_fn(input, pat_v);
+        ray_release(input); ray_release(pat_v);
+        return r;
     } else {
-        memset(dst, 0, (size_t)len);
+        /* Previously memset-zero: a predicate over an unsupported column
+         * type silently matched nothing.  Surface the type error the
+         * direct builtin raises instead. */
+        ray_release(result); ray_release(input); ray_release(pat_v);
+        return ray_error("type", "like: expects a string or symbol column, got %s",
+                         ray_type_name(in_type));
     }
 
     ray_release(input); ray_release(pat_v);
diff --git a/src/ops/strop.c b/src/ops/strop.c
index 831286c2..eed3db13 100644
--- a/src/ops/strop.c
+++ b/src/ops/strop.c
@@ -1079,6 +1079,31 @@ ray_t* ray_like_fn(ray_t* x, ray_t* pattern) {
         return result;
     }
 
+    /* List of string/symbol atoms — the shape splayed string columns
+     * load as (col_load_str_list).  Mirrors str-find's list branch. */
+    if (x->type == RAY_LIST) {
+        int64_t n = x->len;
+        ray_t* result = ray_vec_new(RAY_BOOL, n);
+        if (RAY_IS_ERR(result)) return result;
+        result->len = n;
+        uint8_t* out = (uint8_t*)ray_data(result);
+        ray_t** items = (ray_t**)ray_data(x);
+        for (int64_t i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+            if ((i & (RAY_MORSEL_ELEMS - 1)) == 0 && pool_cancelled(NULL)) {
+                ray_release(result);
+                return ray_error("cancel", NULL);
+            }
+            const char* s; size_t sl;
+            if (!str_atom_bytes(items[i], &s, &sl, NULL)) {
+                ray_release(result);
+                return ray_error("type", "like: list items must be string or symbol atoms");
+            }
+            out[i] = (use_simple ? ray_glob_match_compiled(&pc, s, sl)
+                                 : ray_glob_match(s, sl, pat, pat_len)) ? 1 : 0;
+        }
+        return result;
+    }
+
     return ray_error("type", "like: expects string or symbol");
 }
 
diff --git a/test/rfl/query/guid_like_predicates.rfl b/test/rfl/query/guid_like_predicates.rfl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3af51d01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/rfl/query/guid_like_predicates.rfl
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+;; select-where predicates that used to fail silently.
+;;
+;; GUID: the fused expression program has no 16-byte loads, and the
+;; elementwise fallback routed guid cells through the numeric loops —
+;; both silently matched nothing.  The compiler now bails GUID columns
+;; (EXPR_BAIL_GUID) and the fallback has a memcmp branch, so a guid
+;; equality predicate returns the matching rows.
+;;
+;; like: an unsupported input type in exec_like memset the result to
+;; all-false.  A list column (splayed string load shape) now delegates
+;; to the builtin's list branch; a non-string column raises.
+
+(set gs (guid 3))
+(set t (table [g v] (list gs [10 20 30])))
+(set g1 (at gs 1))
+
+;; guid equality predicate finds its row
+(get (select {from: t where: (== g g1)}) 'v) -- [20]
+(count (get (select {from: t where: (!= g g1)}) 'v)) -- 2
+
+;; guid predicate composes with aggregation
+(at (get (select {from: t where: (== g g1) s: (sum v)}) 's) 0) -- 20
+
+;; ordering on guid operands is undefined — loud, not silent
+(select {from: t where: (< g g1)}) !- type
+
+;; like over a list-of-strings column inside select-where
+(set ts (table [s v] (list (list "keep me" "drop" "also keep") [1 2 3])))
+(get (select {from: ts where: (like s "*keep*")}) 'v) -- [1 3]
+
+;; like over a non-string column raises instead of matching nothing
+(select {from: ts where: (like v "*1*")}) !- type
diff --git a/test/rfl/strop/like.rfl b/test/rfl/strop/like.rfl
index 6b57a98d..1232612f 100644
--- a/test/rfl/strop/like.rfl
+++ b/test/rfl/strop/like.rfl
@@ -180,3 +180,11 @@
 
 ;; SHAPE_PREFIX with empty lit ("`*`" alone is SHAPE_ANY, not PREFIX, so use trailing only)
 ;; — covered by `(like "" "*")` above (SHAPE_ANY).
+
+;; ────────────── list of string/symbol atoms ──────────────
+;; The shape splayed string columns load as (col_load_str_list) — like
+;; used to reject it with a type error while str-find accepted it.
+(like (list "abc" "has Pending mark" "xyz") "*Pending*") -- [false true false]
+(like (list "alpha" "beta") "a*") -- [true false]
+(like (list 'alpha 'beta) "a*") -- [true false]
+(like (list "a" 1 "b") "a*") !- type