Limey is a old American and Canadian
slang nickname for the
British, initially specifically sailors. The term is believed to derive from
lime-juicer, referring to the
Royal Navy and
Merchant Navy[?] practice of supplying lime juice (an antiscorbutic) to English sailors to prevent
scurvy in the C.19. The term is believed to have originated in Australia in the 1880s. A less common source is as a derivative of "Gor-blimey".
The Limey is a 1999 film directed by
Steven Soderbergh and starring Terence Stamp.