Question: Why do Aussies call us Poms?

Any ideas?

pohms, actually

Prisoner of Her* Majesty

* His / Her depending if they were deported to the big hot prison colony during Victoria’s reign…

Pommy…

The term pommy, often shortened to pom, in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, commonly denotes a person of British (English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish) origin. A derogatory term, it was controversially ruled no longer offensive in 2006 by the Australian Advertising Standards Board and in 2010 by the New Zealand Broadcasting Standards Authority.[1] Despite these changing views, many British people or those of British origin consider the expression offensive or racist when used by people not of British origin to describe English or British people, yet okay within that community: for example, the community group British People Against Racial Discrimination was among those who complained to the Advertising Standards Board about five advertisements poking fun at “Poms”, prompting the 2006 decision.[2]

The origin of this term is not confirmed and there are several persistent false etymologies. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) strongly supports the theory that pommy originated as a contraction of “pomegranate”.[3] 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.[4] However, there is no hard evidence for the theory regarding sunburn. Another unofficial explanation is that P.O.M.E. stands for ‘Prisoner of Mother England’ or that P.O.H.M.E. stands for ‘Prisoner of Her Majesty’s Exile’. However, the OED states that there is no evidence for these terms or abbreviations being used and that they are an unlikely source. It has also been suggested that POM stands for “product of Mother England”.[5]

You’ll get people saying it’s refers to Prisoner of Mother England and all sorts of bollocks, but I think conventional wisdom has it that the term derives from the blotchy red sunburnt skin (like a pomegranate) that helped to easily identify those ‘fresh off the boat’ in colonial times.

That could be bollocks too though.

Prisoner of Mother England (POME) I think it is? Urban Dictionary agrees…

I think it’s People Of Mother England?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=why+do+aussies+call+the+british+poms%3F

Lots of reasons. Good manners mainly.

Wouldn’t want to offend by calling you what they were thinking.

🙂

normally affixed with ‘whinging’ or ‘bastards’, generally used in coversation regarding sport, unions, or laziness. 🙂

but why do the Aussies boo at Kevin Pietersen?

i understand why Pommy supporters might boo at him (he keeps getting picked despite being rubbish)

but why don’t the Aussies like him? – he’s a great asset to their team (he keeps getting picked for England and he’s rubbish)

is it because there are lots of South-Africans in Oz?

?

I was told it was Prisoner Of Millbank.

Millbank is the prison in london where the convicts were kept before they’re were loaded on the boats to goto australia.

A derogatory term, it was controversially ruled no longer offensive in 2006 by the Australian Advertising Standards Board and in 2010 by the New Zealand Broadcasting Standards Authority.[1] Despite these changing views, many British people or those of British origin consider the expression offensive or racist when used by people not of British origin to describe English or British people, yet okay within that community

When I was in Oz I hppened to catch some cricket scores on TV. I nearly choked when the announcer said ‘The Aussies were 345 all out and the ****s were 234 for 6’

****s being the derogatory shortening of Pakiasanis.

Honest to God, that’s the truth. 🙁

PeterPoddy – Member
…****s being the derogatory shortening of Pakiasanis…

It’s not derogatory over there IME. They are well regarded. Australians have difficulties using words with more than 2 syllables. Poms, Kiwis, etc etc

It’s even more extreme in Queensland. Why is the most popular beer in Queensland called XXXX? – because Qlders can’t spell beer.