Australians call us British?

Question

Australians call us british. Pommes. but do you know why ,and what does it really stand for .I have heard that that it is derived from the shirts that convicts wore on there arrival in Australia . They had POHM written on there shirts meaning prisoner of his majesty please can any one else help with this

Answer 1

There are a lot of false explanations for the origin of the Australian word Pom or Pommie,many which claim it is an acronym.
The most popular explanation is that the word was built on either Prisoner of mother England or Prisoner of His Majesty which was said to be embroided on the shirts of the convicts.
This is nonsence,however for the term is not noted in print until 1900 and then only in it`s initial form of a childrens street taunt which was aimed at all new arrivals.
This verbal goad started life as " Jimmy Immigrant" it then transmuted into "Immigranit Pomegranit" because the sun burnt bodies of the newly arrived from England was thought to resemble the blotchy red flesh of the fruit.

Answer 2

Possibly urban myth.

An alternate is that it's short for "pomegranates"
as new arrivals tended to go horribly red in the sun.
(so it could have been lobsters or beetroots)

How can you tell when a plane-load of POMs has just landed at Sydney airport?
When they switch the jet engines off, you can still hear the whine.

Answer 3

say pohm as one word and you`ve got it. also it`s not the british they call pohmies it`s the english.

Answer 4

Where are you from?

Answer 5

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You call us Yankees. I call you cowards. America rules.