I'm not having a go, I'd just want to know what the Australians mean when they say it.
2006-11-21 00:57:48 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
Not meant to be an insult (as some English think for some reason), merely a nickname for our less-tanned former rulers. Nicknaming everything is very Australian.
2006-11-21 01:03:15 · answer #1 · answered by the_punch_bag 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whether it's Pom, Pommy or Pommie, this is a term Australians and New Zealanders use for the English, sometimes affectionately and sometimes not. It's most evident when it comes to cricket and rugby matches. It's not certain where it comes from, bukt some say it favours the blend of the words 'pomegranate' and 'immigrant': the pomegranate bit referring to the ruddy complexions of the English arriving in a hot climate.
2006-11-21 09:04:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
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".
2006-11-21 09:48:41 · answer #3 · answered by vincegill 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
POM actually means - 'Prisoners Of Mother' and there is a reason for that but I can't be bothered going into great depth though.
2006-11-21 09:02:47 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe it comes from the French for "potato" and was slang dating from World War I for the potato-eating Brits.
2006-11-21 09:03:10 · answer #5 · answered by dmb 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dunno but pom sounds cute :)
2006-11-21 08:59:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋