Laurie Brenner, age 13, of Jackson, Miss., for her question:

WHY ARE SOME SAILORS CALLED LIMEYS?

Long before the word "vitamin" was coined and before it was known that lemon and lime juice contained good quantities of vitamin C, lime juice was used in prevention of scurvy. The nickname "Limey" was applied to English sailors who were routinely supplied with limes to prevent scurvy. They went to sea carrying large numbers of limes.

Lime trees were native to southeast Asia and are now cultivated throughout the cooler regions of the tropics.