Limey
noun /ˈlaɪmi/
/ˈlaɪmi/
(North American English, Australian English, old-fashioned, informal)- a slightly offensive word for a British personCultureThe word 'Limey' was used especially by US military forces during the Second World War, often as a way of showing a lack of respect, to mean a British sailor or soldier. It refers to the old practice in the British navy of drinking the juice of limes (= green fruit like lemons) to avoid getting the disease of scurvy which is caused by the lack of vitamin C.Word Originlate 19th cent.: from lime (the fruit) + -y, because of the former enforced consumption of lime juice in the British navy.