MelissaA
Brenton
Shilpa Karhik
POMS, POMS, POMS!!!!
February 7th 2010 22:47
Having lived in Pom-land after 2.5 years, and now
're-transported', I thought I might start off with the whole origin of the word Pom or Pommy as Australian slang for a Brit.
Everyone has their own version of where they think the term came from, the better known usually being one of theses three:
a) Prisoner of Mother England
b) Port Out, Starboard Home, dealing with the physical position the English would take on a ship to and from Australia.
c) Prisoner of Her Majesty
Each of these acronyms is exactly that - an acronym. The problem there being that acronyms themselves did not start developing until World War 1, and didn't really take off widely until WW2, so most experts will agree that Pom therefore is not an acronym.
There is however another widely accepted version by those 'in the know', being that the word is short for 'pomegranate'.
So why pomegranates, and what's the connection to English people?
In a country like Australia where rhyming slang has been a part of the nation's history and culture, 'pomegranate' is believed to be rhyming slang for 'immigrant'. Coupled with this was the fact that when the English would emigrate to Australia, for the first few months at least, in the harsh Australian heat, their cheeks would turn a rosy, round, pomegranate red!
Everyone has their own version of where they think the term came from, the better known usually being one of theses three:
a) Prisoner of Mother England
b) Port Out, Starboard Home, dealing with the physical position the English would take on a ship to and from Australia.
c) Prisoner of Her Majesty
Each of these acronyms is exactly that - an acronym. The problem there being that acronyms themselves did not start developing until World War 1, and didn't really take off widely until WW2, so most experts will agree that Pom therefore is not an acronym.
There is however another widely accepted version by those 'in the know', being that the word is short for 'pomegranate'.
In a country like Australia where rhyming slang has been a part of the nation's history and culture, 'pomegranate' is believed to be rhyming slang for 'immigrant'. Coupled with this was the fact that when the English would emigrate to Australia, for the first few months at least, in the harsh Australian heat, their cheeks would turn a rosy, round, pomegranate red!
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