This, eventually, got shortened to “pom”, and that stuck. The English also had a reputation for red-faced complexions, which some cite as the reason for “pomegranate” catching on. After a while, the original “Jimmy Grant” was deemed to be similar enough to “pomegranate”. Some were born in the colonies and others sailed in from the other side of the world. The colonies had been going for long enough by that stage, however, for there to be an identity divide. The country wasn’t even known as Australia then. Written references to this appear as early as 1844, when all Australians were still British citizens. This got shortened to “Jimmy”, and English settlers were known as “Jimmys”. Originally the preferred slightly derogatory term was “Jimmy Grant” – rhyming slang for “immigrant”. Jimmy Grant?Īustralians haven’t always called the English “poms”. And the best evidence weighs in for a rather convoluted explanation. Unfortunately, there’s no good evidence for this. “Pom” is supposedly a bastardised acronym, meaning “prisoner of Mother England” or “prisoner of Her Majesty”. The most common explanation is that it’s a reference to Australia’s past as a convict colony. “Whinging poms” is just part of the vernacular. At first used by the English to describe Australians (as anyone Australian must, obviously, have come from prison), now in a strange refersal used by Australians to designate anyone from England. But most Australians call the English poms (or whinging poms) without thinking about the origin of the term.ĭetailed answer: Australians have long used “pom” as a nickname for English people, to the point where most can’t even remember why. pronounced pomm-ee Originally an acronym for the status of inmates sent to Australia: ‘Prisoner of Mother England ’. “Pom” comes from pomegranate, which was used as particularly tenuous rhyming slang for “immigrant”. Pommie Alternative names for the British include nicknames and terms, including affectionate ones, neutral ones, and derogatory ones to describe the.

Aussie slang pommie