berndbrot

Apologies if this done before but i'm curious. What is the exaxt definition of a 'POM'?
I'm Welsh, does that make me a POM?

Hutch

Anyone from the British Isles is a pom, but you're less likely to be referred to as one if you're Welsh, Irish or Scottish.

berndbrot

what if you don't consider yourself part of Britain

manxfamily

I'm Manx so I guess I am not a POM. In fact the Isle of Man has the same problem as Oz in the way that it has been invaded by the English and the Manx people have now become a minority.

Garsimm

Go to this link for some ideas as to how the word "pom" originated.

It's quite a good read.

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pom1.htm

Deer Hunter

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pom

NedKelly

I think it makes you a TAF.

somedogsdo

I thought it was Prisoner of her Majesties Service

as from the early days when prisoners went out there
POMS

Turnbull

I thought it was something to do with potatoes and scurvy???

TIFFIN SCOTT

I thought is was prisoners of mother england ...... kinda the same thing LOL

DebraH

this is my understanding of it too

curly

I thought I'd read somewhere it meant 'persons of means' referring to when people chose to go and live out there, way before the £10 poms!!!

N

Vash the Stampede

In my experience - and I speak as an Aussie who uses the word - only English people are classed as "poms."

MartinLuther

The locals here agree with that - it definitely refers to English.

Something else I've noticed. When people (on here) mention "Prisoners of Mother England" they tend to infer this means "Prisoners from Mother England" whereas it's a bit of a joke really meaning the English are "Prisoners still in Mother England".

Yes - I know it comes from the word play Pomegranate - Jimmy Grant - Immigrant.

Shellfish

I agree, from a S.African point of view. A Pom is generally an Englishman