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limey

 
Dictionary: lim·ey   (') pronunciation

n. Slang, pl., -eys.
  1. A British sailor.
  2. An English person.

[Short for lime juicer (from the use of lime juice on British warships in order to prevent scurvy).]


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WordNet: limey
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a man of English descent
  Synonym: John Bull


Wikipedia: Limey
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Limey is an old American and Canadian slang nickname for the British, originally referring to British sailors. The term is believed to derive from lime juice, referring to the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy practice of supplying lime juice to British sailors to prevent scurvy. The benefits of citrus juice were well known at the time thanks to the acute observations of surgeon James Lind who noticed that the cabbage-eating Dutch had fewer problems with scurvy[citation needed]. Limes replaced lemons due to limes being more readily available from Britain's own Caribbean colonies. Lemon juice was reintroduced after scurvy again became a problem due to lime juice lacking sufficient vitamin C. The term is thought to have originated in the Caribbean in the 1880s.[citation needed] A false etymology is that it is a derivative of "Corr-blimey" ("God blind me!" or "God blight me!").

"Limey" reference to British citizens may also have origins of reference to the white cliffs of Dover composition of lime.

See also


Translations: Limey
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - englænder

Nederlands (Dutch)
Engelsman (Amerikaanse bijnaam)

Français (French)
n. - (US) Angliche

Deutsch (German)
n. - Engländer

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (βρομο)εγγλέζος

Italiano (Italian)
inglese

Português (Portuguese)
n. - marinheiro (m) britânico, barco (m) britânico, britânico (m)

Русский (Russian)
английский моряк, английский солдат

Español (Spanish)
n. - inglés (en EE.UU., Australia)

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - (Am. sl.) brittisk sjöman, britt, brittiskt fartyg

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
英国海军, 英国人

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 英國海軍, 英國人

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 영국 수병, 영국인

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 英国水兵, 英国人, 英国人移民
adj. - 英国の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) بحار, رجل إنكليزي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮בריטי (מדוברת), מלח בריטי‬


 
 
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What are limeys? Read answer...
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Why are sailors called Limeys? Read answer...

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Why are were the British soldiers called limeys?
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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Limey" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

 

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