More seriously on language

[trixtah]

In the latest updates to the OED, the editors have made a fairly definite stance on the derivation of pom (meaning English person):

pomegranate, n. and adj.
5. Austral. colloq. An immigrant to Australia from Britain. Now superseded by

POM n.², POMMY n.

1912 Bulletin (Sydney) 14 Nov. 16/4 The other day a Pummy Grant (assisted immigrant) was handed a bridle and told to catch a horse. 1912 Truth (Sydney) 22 Dec. 1/3 Now they call 'em ‘Pomegranates’ and the Jimmygrants don't like it. 1924 D. H. LAWRENCE & M. SKINNER Boy in Bush 120 Here you, young Pommy Grant. 1963 X. HERBERT Disturbing Elem. 91 He still wore the heavy clumsy British type of clothing of the day. When we kids saw people on the street dressed like that we would yell at them: ‘Jimmygrants, Pommygranates, Pommies!’

So, none of that Prisoner of Her Majesty (which doesn't even work) or Permit of Migration (which didn't exist) rubbish.

I'm just surprised that the OED still considers it to be derog. Mildly so, sometimes, but no more than saying "Brits" with a particular emphasis. I don't think people use it that rudely here in Oz these days either (no more so than kiwis do). Yay proper etymology!

Comments

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

World Wide Words (which is my go-to site for questions of etymology) has a good entry (http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pom1.htm) on the word.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that is good. I've wandered through that site in the past, but I haven't seen that entry before. I think the OED has only recently got its mitts on those two citations, which a decade earlier than the Laurence example.

Thanks for the link!