Meanings
limey1
comparative limier · superlative limiest
- Resembling limes (the fruit); lime-like.
- Of, or pertaining to, limes (the fruit).
This drink is full of limey goodness.
plural limeys · alternative Limey
- AustraliaNew ZealandUSethnicslangslurAn Englishman or other Briton, or a person of British descent; an English or British immigrant.
Ya look like anything ’cept a tourist who’s come to lose his wad and they get a bad case of nose trouble. Take yaself. Anyone can see ya’re a Limey even before ya start talking.
1956, Ian Fleming, chapter 15, in Diamonds Are Forever
Limey2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn Englishman or other Briton, or a person of British descent; an English or British immigrant.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
In adjectival senses, by surface analysis, lime + -y. In the sense of Englishman, reduced from the 19th century term lime-juicer (“a British ship”), from the lime juice British ships carried to ward off scurvy.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Esperanto anglaĉo, britaĉo
- anglaĉoa derogatory name for an English or British person
- britaĉoa derogatory name for an English or British person
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with limey
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
limey. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/limey
“limey.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/limey. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “limey,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/limey.
Source: limey on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.