LIMEY


Meaning of LIMEY in English

n ( AmE slang offensive )

a British person. The word was used especially by US military forces during World War II , often as an insult, 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.

Oxford guide to British and American culture English vocabulary.      Руководство по британской и американской культуре, Оксфордский английский словарь.