Well Julie, no need to answer you privately. The term Pom came from prisoners who were sent from England to Australia several hundred years ago. They wore prison garb with the initials P.O.M.E stamped on it meaning Prisoner of Mother England. Or so the story goes.
In modern usage we were always corrected by our teachers in Australia and New Zealand when we said things like "Worthless Poms" or Whinging Poms". They would point out that the adjective was redundant!! But seriously, the term can be used lightheartedly in terms like "bloody Pom" but is often indicative of a lower class person of British descent who tends to be either officious or a notorious complainer. I would not call my good English friends Poms unless I was using the term as an obvious joke.
Andy Easton
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