On Fri, 15 Mar 1996 Ragthyme@aol.com wrote:
> Denise:
>
> in re:
>
> >I'm relieved to know that the term "Brit" isn't an insult. The only other
> >noun I know of that can be applied to an individual Brit is "limey" and I'm
> >pretty sure that one's an insult. I don't know why, though.
>
> Brit is about as insulting as Yank. I think it's the spirit of it.
>
> Limey is another matter; it comes from the 18th century British navy, where
> common sailors were often referred to as limeys because of the quantity of
> lime juice they drank to ward off scurvy. It's a derogatory term from that
> period, and it's stuck for some reason. I think it was actually the Yanks who
> coined this one, though I'm not positive. It's insulting, but something along
> the lines of calling one of your brethren from South of the Border a greaser
> or a wetback. I understand that in return, they refer to you as Anglos,
> though I'm not certain how insulting that is ;)
Oh, that's pretty insulting! As for insulting Englishmen, referring to
our British friends as "Tea Bags" is usually suffifient to start a fight.
John Peloquin
|