limey

[ lahy-mee ]

/ ˈlaɪ mi /

Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.

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noun, plural lim·eys.

a British sailor.

a British ship.

a British person.

adjective

British.

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Origin of limey

First recorded in 1885–90; see origin at lime-juicer, -y²

usage note for limey

This term (and the earlier lime-juicer ) was probably first applied by Americans to British sailors, used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting. Historically, it also referred to a British immigrant in Australia. Later it became a more neutral nickname for any British person.

Words nearby limey

lime sulfur, lime tree, lime twig, limewater, limewood, limey, Lim Fjord, limicoline, limicolous, liminal, liminality

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use limey in a sentence

Confusion over the catcher's eye black is just the tip of the iceberg for this befuddled limey.
Viral Video of the Day: Bad British MLB Commentary|Alex Chancey, Ben Teitelbaum|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe they needed to do that because Freud himself was hardly a true Limey.
Lucian Freud, the Conservative Radical|Blake Gopnik|July 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
And I realize that I hate lime-stone, to live on lime-stone or marble or any of those limey rocks.
Sea and Sardinia|D. H. Lawrence
The same facts exist with regard to a loam, a calcareous (or limey) soil, or a vegetable mould.
The Elements of Agriculture|George E. Waring

A plasterer with limey overalls gazed at the wagon intently until it passed by.
Watch Yourself Go By|Al. G. Field
We are a little mortary and limey at present, but we are getting on capitally.
Reprinted Pieces|Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for limey

limey

/ (ˈlaɪmɪ) US and Canadian slang /

noun

a British person

a British sailor or ship

adjective

British

Word Origin for limey

abbreviated from C19 lime-juicer, because British sailors were required to drink lime juice as a protection against scurvy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012