Yes. From lime rations against scurvy.

Dictionaries trace "limey" to "lime-juicer", a nickname used by Americans, Australians and others for British sailors and ships because of the citrus ration meant to prevent scurvy. The term later broadened to mean any British person. The details of the earliest usage are debated, but the lime-juice origin is the standard, well-documented account.

• The Royal Navy issued citrus juice to prevent scurvy; it became standard in the 1790s after James Lind's earlier trials and Gilbert Blane's advocacy.
• From the 1860s, the Navy and merchant ships often used West Indian limes in place of Mediterranean lemons.
• "Limey" appears in print in the 1880s as slang for British sailors or ships ("lime-juicer" came earlier), and spread to Britons in general.
• Lime juice was less rich in vitamin C than lemon juice, especially after storage and processing, so it prevented scurvy less effectively.
• Some etymological uncertainty remains over exact first uses, but the scurvy-lime link is the accepted explanation.

The connection is direct: the nickname refers to the British maritime practice of supplying citrus juice against scurvy. One historical nuance is that lemon juice preceded its replacement by lime juice; the nickname reflects the lime-associated practice rather than the entire history of scurvy prevention.

• “Lime-juicer” is recorded from 1857, and “limey” from 1888.
• British sailors received lime juice as a measure against scurvy, sometimes mixed into their rum ration.
• The nickname broadened to refer to British people generally.

1. etymonline.com
2. etymonline.com
3. usni.org
4. idiomorigins.org
5. en.wikipedia.org
6. en.wikipedia.org
7. rmg.co.uk
8. en.wiktionary.org

In 1795, the British Admiralty adopted the routine distribution of citrus juice to prevent scurvy among sailors, following the earlier clinical observations of naval surgeon James Lind. Although lemon juice was initially used, the British Empire later substituted it with Caribbean lime juice. Foreign sailors, particularly Americans and Australians, took note of this standard provision and referred to British vessels and crew as 'lime-juicers.' By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this was shortened to 'limey' and entered common English slang.

• The British Royal Navy began issuing daily rations of lemon or lime juice to sailors in 1795 to prevent scurvy.
• By the mid-19th century, British merchant ships were also legally mandated to provide lime juice under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1867.
• American and Australian sailors coined the term 'lime-juicer' to refer to British ships and sailors who consumed the citrus rations.
• Over time, 'lime-juicer' was shortened to 'limey' and eventually broadened to refer to British people in general.

The nickname is well documented as deriving from the Royal Navy's citrus ration, introduced to combat scurvy, which earned British sailors the label "lime-juicers" and later "limeys". The historical wrinkle is that the earliest official ration was lemon rather than lime, and the switch to limes (lower in vitamin C) is sometimes cited as a reason scurvy reappeared on some expeditions, but this does not change the origin of the nickname itself, which rests on the citrus-ration practice.

• From the 1790s the Royal Navy issued a daily citrus ration to prevent scurvy, following evidence that citrus juice cured and prevented the disease.
• The original ration was Mediterranean lemons; from around the 1860s the Navy switched to West Indian limes, which turned out to contain far less vitamin C.
• British sailors became known as "lime-juicers", shortened to "limey", a term later applied to British people generally.
• The word "limey" is recorded in American usage referring to British sailors and, by extension, Britons by the mid-19th to early 20th century.
• Scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency, and citrus juice prevents it because of its vitamin C content.

The term 'Limey' is directly derived from the British naval and merchant practice of providing lime juice to sailors as a scurvy prevention measure. This practice was formalized in the mid-19th century through the Merchant Shipping Acts, which required lime juice to be issued on ships. The term 'lime-juicers' was first used to describe the ships and their crews, and later evolved into 'limey' as a nickname for British sailors and, eventually, British people in general. The use of lime juice was a direct response to the discovery that citrus fruits could prevent scurvy, a deadly disease common among sailors on long voyages.

• The British Royal Navy and Merchant Navy issued lime juice to sailors to prevent scurvy.
• The term 'limey' comes from 'lime-juicers,' a slang term for British ships carrying lime juice.
• The practice began after the Merchant Shipping Acts in the mid-19th century required lime juice rations.
• The term was first used to describe British sailors and emigrants, later becoming a general slang term for British people.
• Lime juice was used instead of lemon juice because limes were cheaper and more available from British colonies.

1. Limes, Lemons, and Scurvy | Proceedings - February 1965 Vol. 91/2/744 usni.org
2. r/todayilearned on Reddit: TIL the British are often referred to as “Limey” because of their army’s use of lime to prevent scurvy when at sea. The use of citrus was initially a closely guarded military secret as it gave them the ability to remain at sea for lengthy periods without contracting the disorder. reddit.com
3. Why Are English Sailors Called Limeys? | Ask A Biologist askabiologist.asu.edu
4. History behind the term 'Limey' | Nutritional Outlook - Supplement, Food & Beverage Manufacturing Trends nutritionaloutlook.com
5. Limey Meaning: What Is a Limey, Why Brits Are Called Limeys and the Story Behind the Slang | The Vintage News thevintagenews.com
6. Vitamin C and Scurvy umass.edu
7. Limey ipm.org
8. When Life Gives You Limes, Solve Scurvy | MedEvidence medevidence.com