smith007@ix.netcom.com wrote:
>
> >I take it this is an American thing that us Limey's just ain't gonna
> >understand!!! ;-)
> I'm an old Fart but perhaps not old enough to understand, what the term
> LIMEY means, or it's history. I can only guess it is a shortened or slang
> for " Lie To Me" as in ; when you take your LBC in to get an estimate on
> a pepair.
>
> Phil Smith
> Tampa, FL.
> 69 TR6
I'm not sure if this is a serious request for the etymology of the word
"limey", but here goes. Back in the 18th century, scurvy was a major
problem for sailors of all nations. Scurvy is caused by a lack of
vitamin C. The Royal Navy discovered that, if they gave their sailors
regular doses of lemon juice, scurvy did not occur as frequently. The
sailors, wrongly, referred to lemons as limes. American sailors, not
understanding the medicinal benefits of lemon juice, thought the fact
that the English sailors drank "lime" juice to be strange, so they
referred to the English sailors, derisively, as "limeys".
Sorry for the lack of lbc content, but, as an expatriate limey myself, I
wanted to make sure the "lie" was removed from limey!
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