Why do Australians call the english poms ?

Answer 1

The cargo that was on the ships of the First Fleet whih came out to Ausrralia were Labelled

POHM
Property of His Majesty

stuff that comes from England....

Answer 2

The term Pommy for a British person is commonly used in Australian English and New Zealand English, and is often shortened to Pom. The origin of this term is not confirmed and there are several persistent false etymologies.

One theory is that, as the majority of early immigrants to Australia were British, it is rhyming slang for "immigrant" from a contraction of the word "pomegranate", or possibly more directly related to the appearance of the fruit, as it bears a more than passing resemblance to the typical pale complexioned Briton's skin after his or her first few days living under the hot Australian sun.

Another theory is that POM is a shortened acronym of Prisoner of His/Her Majesty (POHM). As many of Australia's first settlers were convicts, sentenced to transportation, this theory holds that upon arrival in the country they would be given a uniform with POHM emblazoned on the back, and that convicts with an extended stay on Australian soil would no longer have to wear the shirt and would often refer to newer entrants into the country as "Pohmmys". Other suggestions hold that POM is a different acronym, such as "Prisoner of Mother England" or "Port of Melbourne". These etymologies are believed to be false, as the term "pommy" was coined long before acronyms were used in common parlance. Moreover, there is no record of prisoners in Australia ever wearing such uniforms.


For more info go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poms

Answer 3

Good question, especially since POM (or POME) refers to Prisoner Of Mother England, who were, in fact, the Australians themselves, not the British.

Answer 4

Prisoner Of Mother England

Answer 5

Good question. I've asked Australians that, and have been told that no one is really sure. One explanation is that the term may derive from the rosy cheeks of fair-skinned English children, which reminded people of pomegranites or apples (since "pom" is the French word for apple).

Answer 6

because when the convicts were deported to Australia they were known as "Prisoners of Mother England " ( POME ) so they got called Pommies or poms .

Answer 7

POME: Prisoners of Mother England

Just a guess

Answer 8

Because we eat a lot of potatoes! Pom was the name used for dehydrated potato during the last war.Or from the French "pomme-de-terre"

Answer 9

As Andrew G said, it is POHM - Prisoner of His/Her Majesty. The convicts sent to Australia has POHM emblazoned on the back of their uniforms.

Answer 10

Prisoner of his/her majestys