Nlouch @ Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:31 am wrote:
Pom?
What on earth is a pom?
its a colloquial term for an englishman...this from wikipedia
The term pommy or pom is commonly used by speakers of Australian English, New Zealand English, South African English and Afrikaans. It is often shortened to pom. The origin of this term is not confirmed and there are several persistent false etymologies, most being backronyms, an example of which would be P.O.M.E, Prisoner Of Mother England. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) strongly supports the theory that pommy originated as a contraction of "pomegranate".[2] The OED also suggests that the reason for this is that pomegranate is extinct Australian rhyming slang for immigrant; it cites an article from 14 November 1912, in a once-prominent Australian weekly magazine The Bulletin: "The other day a Pummy Grant (assisted immigrant) was handed a bridle and told to catch a horse." A popular alternative explanation for the theory that pommy is a contraction of "pomegranate", relates to the purported frequency of sunburn among British people in Australia, turning their fair skin the colour of pomegranates.[3] However, there is no hard evidence for the theory regarding sunburn.
A false etymology (or "backronym") common in both Australia and New Zealand is that pom originated as an acronym for "prisoner of (his/her) majesty" or "prisoner of mother England". Although many of the first British settlers in Australia were convicts sentenced to transportation to Australia, there is no evidence for this. Some proponents of this theory claim that upon arrival in the country they would be given a uniform with "POHM" or "POME" emblazoned on the back, which apparently stood for Prisoners Of Her Majesty but there are no images or examples of these uniforms.In addition, it is used to mean 'Product of Mother England'.
Other etymologies which are unsupported by evidence include:
"prisoner of Millbank", after the area of London where prisoners were held prior to transportation;
it is rhyming slang for tommy, international slang for a British soldier;
an acronym for "Port of Melbourne". However, the term "pommy" was coined long before POM was used as acronym for the port.
comes from "pomme", French for apple. The joke was that the 'fresh off the boat' newly arrived, or 'new apples' - the translucent blue pasty white British would turn bright red, like an apple or a pomegranate, with sunburn when they landed in Australia , the old French words for pomegranate being "pomme grenade". Also, some suggest that England were well known for growing apples, and thus the name "pommy" from "pomme" sufficed. This is the most likely origin of the term.
The word 'Pom' is not an insult, in the same way that 'scouse', 'Taffy', 'geordie', 'paddy', 'cockney', 'manc', 'jock' , 'yank', 'kiwi' or 'aussie' is not an insult, (unlike the word 'seppo',used to describe the yanks using rhyming slang for 'septic tank' which most definitely is an insult). Many people from the United Kingdom incorrectly consider it to be offensive. Few Australians (aussies) or New Zealanders (kiwis) see any reason to take offence to its use, using it in an affectionate context . In December 2006, the Advertising Standards Board of Australia unanimously ruled that the word "pom" was a part of the Australian vernacular, and was largely used in a "playful or affectionate" sense. As a consequence, the board ruled that the word did not constitute a racial slur, and could be freely used in advertising. The Board was responding to a complaint filed by a group called the British People Against Racial Discrimination.[4] Nonetheless, the word is sometimes used today in hostile context, in the same way that any word can be used in a hostile context. On July 2, 2008, an article in the Sydney Morning Herald was entitled: "Poms crush Aussie Games hopes with rules, not talent".[5]
I can tell you however that the word pom was coupled with one or two other words at times to make it insulting. It was the norm in the 60s & 70s to hear an english accent as spokesperson for NZ and Aussie trade unions and the concensus was the pommie bastards had ruined their own country and now were hell bent on ruining ours. The poms were very active in trade unions and were known as whinging poms.
Many came over here extolling how great Britain was which of course always made us wonder what the hell prompted them to leave such a wonderful place in the first place. (dont get me wrong I would live in Britain tomorrow if I had the chance)
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