Why are British called pommies?
Caden Denesik
2025-05-11 17:36:55
Count answers: 4
The term “Pom” is a long-running nickname from Australia and New Zealand to describe British people, and as a term it’s been subject to various debates: its origins and if it is offensive. A more politically correct belief is that it’s short for pomegranate, which supposedly somewhat sounds like “immigrant”. Then there are the explicitly offensive versions, which are widely considered to be false origins, such as “Prisoners of Mother England”. What “Pom” actually means is not clear. The term is more than 100 years old. It was in use by at least 1912, with one opinion column in the defunct newspaper Sport titled “Bidding for ‘Pommies'” that talks about the efforts to get British immigrants to the Pacific nation.
Brett Crooks
2025-05-04 10:32:53
Count answers: 1
It's not certain where it comes from, but Brewer's favours the blend of the words 'pomegranate' and 'immigrant': the pomegranate bit referring to the ruddy complexions of the English arriving in a hot climate. There's also a theory that it comes from 'Prisoner of Mother England' or 'Prisoner of His/Her Majesty, referring to the convicts who were transported to Australia. Whether it's Pom, Pommy or Pommie, this is a term Australians and New Zealanders use for the English, sometimes affectionately and sometimes not. Pommie-bashing is seen as fair sport. And you can't complain: a recent High Court ruling in Australia determined that the use of the word 'Pom' is not considered derogatory.
Michel Gusikowski
2025-04-21 07:52:00
Count answers: 3
One attractive explanation claims the letters ‘POME’ or ‘POHM’ were stamped on the clothing of British prisoners in the late 1800’s, as an acronym of ‘Prisoner of Mother England’ or ‘Prisoner Of Her Majesty.’ However, this has been widely debunked, as none of the sketches or remaining clothes from the period bare any such markings. The most widely accepted theory goes that the word was originally a shortening of pomegranate. The first theory is that visiting Englishman would go a bright red colour reminiscent of a ripe pomegranate after a few days of sun exposure, which seems legit. Another contests pomegranate is Aussie rhyming slang for immigrant, although after a few goes saying one word after the other I can’t quite seem to make that work. The final theory states that British sailors trying to fight off scurvy would collect as many of the fruits as they could carry during stop-overs in Aus. This one might have a glimmer of truth, as it shares a common theme with the etymology of the Limey- another derogatory term for Brits- based on the scurvy prevention method of our ancient mariners. The term Pom first popped up in around 1913, at which point, according to a Sydney Sun clipping, it eclipsed ‘new chum’ as the popular way to refer to Brits down under.
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