denhim

hey guys.
ive often wondered why the ozzies called us poms and after doing some research have found out that its actually short for........ Prisoner Of Mother England. so infact it is spelt pome.

tinaj

I was wondering that myself - thanks for the info-at least I know what is is now, I bet most of the Aussies don't.

Perth Helena

I have heard several definitions for POM. And I doubt anybody knows which is the correct one. ANd if they claim they do, how can you believe them? Where they there when the term was coined?

Some say it stands for "Prisoner of Mother England," others for "Person of Mother England". The other theory is that it was POHM - Prisoner of His Majesty. Pronounced POM.

Another one: it's short for the rhyming slang term "Pomegranate Immigrant".

Yet another one I heard: that it's in reference to their rosy apple cheeks (apple=pomme).

Or how about this: short for "Pompous", in reference to some of the aristocratic types who were our early governors and commanders?

In Canada you're called Limeys because of the limes you ate while on voyages, to avoid scurvy.

tomtanktop

Maybe its because of the apples/pommes that were eaten on voyages, an apple a day keeps the doctor away!?

UDS

This comes up every so often.

The explanations which suggest that it is an acronym for "Prisoner of Mother England" or "Prisoner of Her Majesty" or anything else are almost certainly false, for a number of reasons.

First, the spellings "pome" and "pohm" are never found. From its earliest use (about 1913) the recording spelling has always been "pom".

Secondly, no acronyms appear in English before the mid-twentieth century, whereas "pom" is recorded from about 1913.

Thirdly, convict transportation ended about 1880 - well before "pom" appears.

Finally, from its earliest use "pom" was applied to all recent migrants from England. Even if we assume that it was used but not recorded before that, clearly there is no need for a term describing recent migrants until there is already in place a settled community of long-standing migrants and native-born Australians of European descent. But, by the time that this is true, the overwhelming majority of new migrants are free settlers, not convicts. Hence, if they were coining a term to describe new migrants, they would not coin a term based on the presumption that a typical new migrant was a convict.

Most linguists favour the view that "pom" is an abbreviation of "pomegranite", which in turn is rhyming slang for "immigrant".

baldbutts

I thought it stood for" Dyslexic Migrants from Britain"


BB-DMB through n through

tipper

hi balderoso, thats D.M.B thats what the wife has every month.

we will have a good pb bashing when we both get their you with your nam expertise rooting out the vermine.
or is that nam bread your fav food.

love tipper.

Paddy kopieczek

I was told it stood for Prisoner of Milbank. Milbank was formerly the largest prison in London, where all the convicts awaiting transportation out of England were help until they were sent or pardoned or transferred elsewhere. I guess this is yet another questionable but reasonable theory...

I enclose the following quotation:

"It is the largest prison in London. Every male and female convict sentenced to transportation in Great Britain is sent to Millbank previous to the sentence being executed. Here they remain about three months under the close inspection of the three inspectors of the prison, at the end of which time the inspectors report to the Home Secretary, and recommend the place of transportation. The number of persons in Great Britain and Ireland condemned to transportation every year amounts to about 4000. So far the accommodation of the prison permits, the separate system is adopted. Admission to inspect - order from the Secretary for the Home Department, or the Inspector of Prisons. "

Peter Cunningham, Hand-Book of London, 1850

jayr

From the Macquarie dictionary:


pommy
noun (Derogatory) 1. an English person. --adjective 2. English. Also, Pommy, Pom, pom. [probably from pomegranate, rhyming slang for `immigrant'. Definitely not from the purported acronym POME, supposedly standing for Prisoner Of Mother England]

Rudy

Here's what I found out about the word, I always thought it was an acronym for Prisoners of Her Majesty, as a bit of revenge for the English calling Australians convicts, but there you go .....

POM

DavidT

Hey tipper, i am also from Stalybridge, used to go to West Hill, parents had a shop on Melbourne st. I am waiting to head to Brissie area, tho did look at Mooloo on the web, will have a look at mooloo before deciding where to settle, what do you think of the place?

sundarize

Pardon me, but am I the only one who can't see how "pomegranate" remotely rhymes with "immigrant" !! And whats the connection with pommegranates? Most Brits have never tasted one! I dont think they're even native to
Britain.

In France, we're called "rossbeef" (Roast Beefs)

Vee

I'd heard that it stood for "Prisoner Of Motherland"