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Lime

Pronounced /LIME/noun and verbLime & fete

Meaning

To hang out with friends, with no agenda beyond good company. As a noun, a lime is the get-together itself, usually more relaxed than a fete or party. A lime can happen almost anywhere, from a beach to a roadside bar to a panyard.

We having a lime by the beach Sunday, come through.

In plain English: We're hanging out at the beach on Sunday, come along.

Where it comes from

Debated. Lise Winer's Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago, as quoted by Global Voices, links it to British soldiers nicknamed 'limeys'. Historian Gerard Besson connects it to British sailors and their rum, sugar and lime punch. Other stories credit students at Queen's Royal College around the 1920s, or cane farmers who sat and talked while waiting for lime spread on their fields to soak in. None has been proven.

Used in

Sources

  1. Traditional Mas Archive: Carnival terms
  2. Global Voices: The origins of 'liming' in Trinidad and Tobago
  3. Matador Network: Slang you should learn before visiting Trinidad and Tobago

Last verified 3 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.