If not, is it an insult to call someone who is not English (like an Australian or South African) a ‘limey’?
I’m asking here in ATMB to see how board rules apply, not to get a GQ dissertation on the etymology of ‘limey’.
I’m going to guess that since no “limey” gives a fuck whether they are referred to as such, then no.
Ok, but some Australians seem to care. South Africans only seem confused by it in my experience.
Some Australians seem to care about what?
Being called a limey. They thought it was insulting to call them Englishmen. I think Scots react the same way. We’re not talking about blood feud level insult.
I’m a New Zealander and I’d be astonished to be called a limey. To me, it exclusively refers to the English. And yes, Scots, Irish etc would be insulted too.
Sorry, I’ve never hear any Australian called a limey but I guess it would not be the “limey” word being the insult, as the British part. Though I don’t think most would care too much either way. Now if you called them a Kiwi…
An English friend did get slightly miffed at being called a limey in an internet conversation when she thought British could have been used as easily.
If it were to be an insult it would only begin to apply to English speaking South Africans, and it would usually be hurled by an Afrikaner. And yes, we would be confused as it’s never been used as an insult. The usual insults are “rooinek” (redneck - lily white Anglo skins burnt by harsh sun), “soutpiel” (salted penis - caused by having one foot in England, one foot in SA and dick hanging in the Atlantic) and “fokken Engelsman” (fukken Englishman, with fukken being the operative insult).
Other than that, we don’t care what you call us, as long as you don’t call us in the middle of the fukken night.
I can’t recall hearing anyone referred to as a limey among my Brit and Brit-type (Aussies, Kiwis etc) friends. But Pom gets tossed around a lot.
As a Brit I kind of like being called it. Amusingly old-worldy.
Perhaps with a twist?
I’m Scottish, and I don’t mind either.
I cannot think of a nationality term for British person that would be offensive.
Sassenach? At least when used by a Scot.
Only if you are Black. But then, everything is a slur.
Actually, as a British person, I do find “limey” from Americans mildly offensive: more so, indeed, than “pom” or even in many cases “pommie bastard” from an Australian, which often seems to be intended jocularly. I often sense that “limey” is intended with a bit a sneer.
I don’t know if this is the appropriate thread for such a request, but I’d really like it if from now on everyone called me “honkey”. Because that cracks me up for some reason.
I think ‘pom’ from an American couldn’t be an insult because we wouldn’t know what it meant. At least from me. I’d never heard of it until today.
Also, any time I’d refer to a Brit or their cousins as a limey the intent would be jocular. I think the same would apply for other Americans most of the time now, but I’m not sure about times past.
Scots are British, Sassenach refers purely to the English, and it is not offensive.
Well the Scot calling me that intended it as an insult, although a good natured one. I’m not sure exactly how though. He implied it was meant as an insult to Englishmen, but may have just intended to insult me by calling me English.
Sorry if I forget about the distinction between British and English.