What is a LIMEY ? Never heard this one before.?

Answer 1

lim·ey (lī'mē)
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).]

Answer 2

A Limey is what the the Australians called us British to annoy us but the name traveled to America and now they call us Limeys as well because back in the days of the old wooden sailing ships the British sailors got Scurvy which is a disease when you don't get enough vitamin C.The sailors got liver spots on their skin,spongy gums and bleeding from all the mucous membranes as symptom's of the disease.When the British sailors(Captain Blyth....i think that's how you spell his name.)discovered that limes contain vitamin C so they took them aboard ships and ever since the Yanks have called us Limeys.

Answer 3

A Limey is a British sailor from before the time of refrigeration. It refers to the fact that all British vessels carried limes for their sailors to eat to ward off scurvy, which one can get from a lack of vitamin C. Limes were the only fruit that would last on long voyages.

Answer 4

British seaman. In 'days of yore'...a brilliant or lucky individual discovered that citric acid prevents scurvy-the scourge, then, of the british navy. Limes were plentifull, they were easily stored for the long periods the ships were at sea. The limes were made a mandatory food supplement for the sailors virtually eliminating the threat of scurvey. Thus british sailors were tagged,"Limeys".

Answer 5

A Brit. There is a film called "The Limey"

Answer 6

What they say about English sailors being called Limey is correct but what many people don't know is that it was Captain Blyth of Mutiny on the Bounty fame who introduced the Limes and Lemons to prevent scurvy................

Answer 7

See my name? Limey was originally used by Australians as a swear word to annoy Brits. It travelled to the USA and became their nickname for Brits, rather like us saying 'Yank'

Answer 8

It's slang for a British person. It comes from seafaring days, when British sailors brought limes with them on their ships to stave off scurvy (vitamin C deficiency).

Answer 9

This is a nickname given British seamen who were getting scurvy until they started eating fresh limes during long voyages.

Answer 10

Refers to the Brits ... they got scurvy on the boats and somebody discovered that if they eat citrus fruit, they'd be OK ... so ... they added citrus to their diet, and became Limeys .... :)