limey
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(lī'mē) 
n. Slang, pl., -eys.
n. Slang, pl., -eys.
- A British sailor.
- 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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limey
Fowler's Modern English Usage:
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limey, limy
Limey is the adjective corresponding to the fruit called lime, whereas limy relates to the caustic alkaline substance. Limey (with a capital initial letter) is an American English slang term for a person from Britain, and arose from the enforced consumption of lime-juice in the British navy.
| likewise, likely, likeable | |
| limit, linchpin, line |
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noun
noun, mainly Austral, NZ, and S Afr
1: A British immigrant. (1888 —) .
J. Bertram I can remember scores of fights among the 'Limeys' (1947).
2:US A British person (orig a sailor) or ship. (1918 —) .
J. Steinbeck Fights in the bar-rooms with the goddam Limeys (1952).
[Abbreviation of obs. lime-juicernoun , from the former enforced consumption of lime-juice as an antiscorbutic in the British Navy.]
noun, mainly Austral, NZ, and S Afr
1: A British immigrant. (1888 —) .
J. Bertram I can remember scores of fights among the 'Limeys' (1947).
2:
J. Steinbeck Fights in the bar-rooms with the goddam Limeys (1952).
[Abbreviation of obs. lime-juicer
| Lady Muck, Kraut, King Kong | |
| Lizzie, Lord Muck, la-di-da |
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categories related to 'limey'
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009) |
For the 1999 film, see The Limey. For the French village, see Limey-Remenauville.
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Look up limey in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Limey is an old slang nickname, often pejorative, for the British, originally referring to their sailors. It has since been used as a derogatory term that relates to English people. The term is believed to derive from lime fruits, referring to the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy practice of supplying lime juice to British sailors to prevent scurvy.[1] The benefits of citrus juice were well known at the time thanks to the acute observations of surgeon James Lind who studied the effects of citrus on scurvy in 1747.[2]
Limes replaced lemons because limes were more readily available from Britain's own Caribbean colonies. Lemon juice was reintroduced after scurvy again became a problem because of lime juice lacking sufficient vitamin C.
The term is thought to have originated in the Caribbean in the 1870s. A false etymology is that it is a derivative of "Cor-blimey" ("God blind me!" or "God blight me!").[citation needed]
See also
Notes
- ^ "Definition of Limey from Oxford Dictionaries". http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/Limey. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
- ^ Carlisle, Rodney (2004). Scientific American Inventions and Discoveries, p.393. John Wiley & Songs, Inc., New Jersey. ISBN 0-471-24410-4.
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Translations:
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Limey
Nederlands (Dutch)
Engelsman (Amerikaanse bijnaam)
Français (French)
n. - (US) Angliche
Deutsch (German)
n. - Engländer
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (βρομο)εγγλέζος
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
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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American Heritage 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.
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Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang
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Random House Word Menu
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Mentioned in
Samson
(Rock Band, '60s, '70s)
The Limey [Original Soundtrack]
(1999 Album by Original Soundtrack)
Lem Dobbs
(Writer, Director, Actor, Adventure/Thriller)
The Limey
(1999 Crime Film)
On Holiday With...
(2000 Album by The Maulies)
» More