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Re: the vernacular

Greetings,

I didn't mean that Pom actually was an acronym for person of British
origin - that's just the way I speak (really!)  I'll quote to you a reply to
a private e-mail. By the way, I feel the term is used these days without any
thought given to its possible origins - it has slipped into common speech
and is usually meant (by me, anyway) as a rather bland noun.  And yes, most
of my ancestry is British and included quite a few "involuntary migrants". :

I'm sorry that I've confused you further.  The term "pom' has rather obscure
beginnings - your explanation was one possibility, also Prisoner Of Mother
England is another.  Another story is that the pale complexions of the
British newly arrived in the colonies was reminiscent of the fruit of the
pomegranate.  Take your pick - I was just trying to offer a rough
explanation.

After World War 2 the Australian government was concerned about our very
small population and encouraged immigration by offering extremely cheap
passage here, particularly from Britain.  I imagine that many people took up
the offer without really considering the consequences.  Many were
discontented - were probably victims of misleading advertising - and gained
a reputation for being complainers or "whingers".  The term "whinging Pom"
seemed to stick for quite a while, but is far less common now.

Of course, I am far too young to remember any of this.

Kind Regards,
Wendy Spencer

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