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| quote: | The term Pommy for a British person is commonly used in Australian English, New Zealand English and South African English and Afrikaans Speakers, and is often shortened to Pom. The origin of this term is not confirmed and there are several persistent false etymologies.
One theory is that, as the majority of early immigrants to Australia were British, it is rhyming slang for "immigrant" from a contraction of the word "pomegranate", or possibly more directly related to the appearance of the fruit, as it bears a more than passing resemblance to the typical pale complexioned Briton's skin after his or her first few days living under the hot Australian sun.
Another theory is that POM is a shortened acronym of Prisoner of His/Her Majesty (POHM). As many of Australia's first settlers were convicts, sentenced to transportation, this theory holds that upon arrival in the country they would be given a uniform with POHM emblazoned on the back, and that convicts with an extended stay on Australian soil would no longer have to wear the shirt and would often refer to newer entrants into the country as "Pohmmys". Other suggestions hold that POM is a different acronym, such as "Prisoner of Mother England" or "Port of Melbourne". These etymologies are believed to be false, as the term "pommy" was coined long before acronyms were used in common parlance. Moreover, there is no record of prisoners in Australia ever wearing such uniforms.
The use of the word 'Pom' is contentious. Some British people living in Australasia find the term offensive and demeaning, others find it harmless and amusing. Attitudes to the use of the word have varied over the years, from the 1960s when slogans such as 'bash a pom a day' were heard on New Zealand radio, to today, when the word has become so entrenched that few Australians and New Zealanders see any reason to avoid using the word, some even justifying the use of the word as being 'endearing'. On September 27, 2006, the Australian cricketing authority Cricket Australia ruled that it was OK for cricket fans to refer to the English as 'Poms' after a wide-ranging review on potentially racist terms. |
| quote: | * Captain Cook Cúnts, derisive term used by some Aboriginals to describe white Australians.
* Convict Implies that all Australians are descended from the penal colonies early in Australia's western colonisation.
* Her Majesty's Prisoners
* Kangaroo A mild, pejorative term relating to the fact that Australia is the only place in the world that has kangaroos (not including the tree-kangaroos of New Guinea)
* Matildas In reference to a uniquely Australian song, 'Waltzing Matilda', which commemorates and celebrates a homeless sheep thief who commits suicide rather than be caught by the local police.
* Outback a term referring to the Australian wilderness implying a provincial character
* Prisoner
* Roo a variant of kangaroo. This can be perceived as a derogatory term.
* Roo Rooter (England) - one who sodomizes kangaroos
* Shackle Dragger literally translating into deported British convicts, this is highly pejorative.
* Skippy referring to the former television show. The term is often used by ethnic Australians to refer to white (Anglo et cetera) Australians, sometimes in a pejorative sense.
* Skips derived from Skippy used by ethnic Australians ( especially Mediterranean ) to deride "white" (Anglo-Celtic) Australians.
* Strine referring to the way Australians pronounce their nationality: "'str'in." Has elitist connotations in Australia.
* Subjects referring to the fact that Australians are still ruled by the Queen, much to the anger of many and the bafflement of Brits.
* Wallaby Humpers implies zoophilia
* Wogs refers to people of Greek or Italian, heritage.
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some good ones are in bald.
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