pom

Everyday

1. (Australia, New Zealand, slang) A Pom or Pommy is an English person or a British person; it is a joking word but can sound rude. tree →
2. A pom is short for a pom-pom (pompom), a fluffy ball of wool or a cheerleader's bunch of ribbons. tree →
3. A pom is short for a Pomeranian, a small fluffy dog. tree →

In the lessons

In Australian and New Zealand talk «Pom» is common in sport banter: «the Poms» are the English cricket or rugby team. It can be friendly teasing or unkind, so be careful. In craft lessons you make poms (pom-poms) from wool and card. In cheerleading, cheerleaders wave poms. Phrases: «whingeing Pom» (a joking insult), «the Poms», «wool pom».

Examples

• The Aussies beat the Poms at cricket. (Australia, slang) tree →
• «G'day, mate, you a Pom?» asked the man at the beach. tree →
• My beanie hat has a red pom on top. tree →
• We made woolly poms in art class. tree →
• The cheerleaders shook their poms. tree →
• Our neighbour's pom barks at everything. (short for Pomeranian) tree →

Note

Plural «poms». For the nationality it is often written with a capital: Pom, Pommy. It is slang and may offend some English people; do not use it in formal writing. Myth: the story that it stands for «Prisoner of Mother England» is not true; most experts think it came from «pomegranate», rhyming with «immigrant».