Pommy or pom The terms pommy, pommie, and pom used in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand usually denote a British person.
Brit. Meaning: (Noun) An obvious shortening of the term “British,” this slang is one of the most commonly used terms to refer to British people and is used by both foreigners and locals.
The most common explanation is that it's a reference to Australia's past as a convict colony. “Pom” is supposedly a bastardised acronym, meaning “prisoner of Mother England” or “prisoner of Her Majesty”.
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.
pom (plural poms) (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, mildly derogatory slang) An Englishman; a Briton; a person of British descent.
Aussies: This one's a classic and is used to describe Australians worldwide. Ozzies: A variation of Aussies; this one is more commonly used by Americans. Roo: Short for kangaroo, this term is used affectionately to refer to Australians.
' As a nation the Australians rarely use polysyllables when one will do and so pom became the pejorative name for a newly-arrived British immigrant. The Anzac Book of 1916 supported this theory, attributing 'Pom' as an abbreviation of pomegranate.
Pommy or pom
The terms pommy, pommie, and pom used in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand usually denote a British person.
pom. A British person, especially one from England. (Originally applied to an immigrant from the British Isles.) The word pom has its origin in wordplay. An early, derisory term for an immigrant in Australia was the rhyming slang jimmygrant (sometimes written as Jimmy Grant), recorded in 1844.
Australia and New Zealand, slang, usually disparaging. : briton. especially : an English immigrant.
Australian English can be described as a new dialect that developed as a result of contact between people who spoke different, mutually intelligible, varieties of English. The very early form of Australian English would have been first spoken by the children of the colonists born into the early colony in Sydney.
“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. The term is more than 100 years old.
What does it mean? Another word for friend. Common in Britain as well, but used even more enthusiastically by Aussies, who pepper the ends of their sentences with a longer, stretched out “maaaaate” that conveys friendliness and establishes a relaxed bond between the speakers.
Fancy. Used as a verb, to fancy means to desire something. This is mainly used either to express having a crush on somebody or craving something to eat. For example, if somebody says, “Do you fancy a biscuit?” they are offering you a cookie to go with your cuppa.
'Dear' is the only real addition to the standard 'darling' that most couples will need, with perhaps a 'love' and a standard 'darling' thrown in here and there. Come the 60-year anniversary, many British couples are content with a few grunts over the breakfast tea and toast.
'Lass' or 'lassie' is another word for 'girl'. This is mainly in the north of England and Scotland. 'Lad' is another word for boy.
It comes from Sydney Rhyming Slang. 'Pom' is short for 'pomegranate', which rhymes with 'immigrant'. It dates from a time when the majority of immigrants to Australia were from Britain, with the result that the word 'immigrant' was synonymous with 'British' in people's minds.
The Ten Pound Poms was the name given to the million Brits people who emigrated to Australia under a government scheme between 1945 to 1972. The long sea voyage cost them ten pounds. They were promised jobs and better weather - and the attractions haven't changed much.
The Australian National Dictionary also gives the first use of the term "Kiwi Kids" and "Kiwis" in 1917, to mean Australian army recruits who had kiwied up; in other words, they had highly-polished boots.
Some people mistake it for the Australian accent but it's not quite the same – it's a little softer sounding and is said to be based on the accent of south-east England, where a lot of the first European settlers to New Zealand came from.
Although Australians and Kiwis might sound comparatively similar to the untrained ear, research has shown there is a distinct contrast in the pronunciation of vowels. Australians tend to pronounce their vowels with more emphasis on the sound [ee], whereas New Zealanders make more prominent [u] sounds.
People from Australia call their homeland “Oz;” a phonetic abbreviation of the country's name, which also harkens to the magical land from L. Frank Baum's fantasy tale.
Bonnie. Used in Scotland, this word means "pretty" or "beautiful", and is normally used in reference to a woman. Some think it has its origins in the French word bon, meaning "good".
It was intended to substantially increase the population of Australia and to supply workers for the country's booming industries. In addition to subsidising the cost of travelling to Australia, the Government promised employment prospects, affordable housing, and a generally more optimistic lifestyle.