Limey
Posted by Bruce Sullivan on August 24, 2000
In Reply to: Limey posted by Scott Marsden on August 23, 2000
: : : A PC friend wants to know if people from Britain mind being called "limeys"? Well, do you? Mr. Hendrickson says you don't but I'm double-checking.
: : : LIME; LIMEY - ".As far back as 1795, lime juice was issued in the British navy as an antisorbutic, to protect against scurvy. After about 50 years, Americans and Australians began calling English ships and sailors 'lime-juicers,' and later 'limeys.' The term 'limey' was eventually applied to all Englishmen, and today the designation and the story behind it are widely known. Originally a contemptuous term and an
: : : international slur, 'limey' is now considered a rather affectionate designation." Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson (Fact on File, New York, 1997)
: : What is an antisorbutic? MS Word gave me a red line under it with no sugestions.
: Actually, I believe the word is "antiscorbutic".
: an-ti-scor-bu-tic
: adj. 1. efficacious against scurvy.
: n. 2. an antiscorbutic agent, as ascorbic acid.
: [1715-25]
As an Australian I object to being called a 'limey': I even object to being called Bruce and hence am generally know to my friends 'Hippo' - cause I'm big and dangerous.