Prisoner of mother England
The term
Pommy for a British person is commonly used by
Australian English,
New Zealand English,
South African English and
Afrikaans speakers, and is often shortened to
Pom. The origin of this term is not confirmed and there are several persistent
false etymologies, most being acronyms.
One theory is that, as the majority of early immigrants to Australia were British, it is
rhyming slang for "immigrant" from a contraction of the word "pomegranate", or possibly more directly related to the appearance of the fruit, as it bears a more than passing resemblance to the typical pale complexioned Briton's skin after his or her first few days living under the hot Australian sun.
The
Oxford English Dictionary has recently come out strongly in support of the word being a contraction, listing "pom" and "pommy" under its entry for "pomegranate". A supporting quotation from the
Bulletin (Sydney) 14 November 1912:
"The other day a Pummy Grant (assisted immigrant) was handed a bridle and told to catch a horse."[1]
A commonly-heard alternative theory is that POM is a shortened acronym of Prisoner of His/Her Majesty (POHM) or Prisoner Of Mother England (POME). As many of Australia's first settlers were convicts, sentenced to transportation, this theory holds that upon arrival in the country they would be given a uniform with POHM emblazoned on the back, and that convicts with an extended stay on Australian soil would no longer have to wear the shirt and would often refer to newer entrants into the country as "Pohmmys". Other suggestions hold that POM is a different acronym, such as "Prisoner of Mother England" or "Port of Melbourne". These etymologies are considered by some researchers to be false, as the term "pommy" was coined long before
acronyms were used in common parlance. Moreover, there is no record of prisoners in Australia ever wearing such uniforms.
How can we be called poms ?
