National Team Nicknames

[rowan]

Oh, and pomme isn't French for potatoes, it's French for apple.

Correct. Potato is pomme de terre (of the earth), I believe. It's been a while since I studied French. Anyway, no reason on earth the Aussies would be using French words to describe the Poms.

It is A Scottish 7s team though

Isn't it a national 7s team tho? I think that's what the page said.

[Which Tyler]

Especially when you consider that traditionally the England kit is predominantly white and blue.

As we’re talking about nicknames, I do miss being called a Nigel by the inhabitants of the WMB.

Rupert too. Hell, haven't even been called Saes Scum since HWNTW left...

Oh, and pomme isn't French for potatoes, it's French for apple.

Correct. Potato is pomme de terre (of the earth), I believe. It's been a while since I studied French. Anyway, no reason on earth the Aussies would be using French words to describe the Poms.

The theory that it comes from Pomme-de-terre is because the Aussies felt that the English ate a lot of potatoes in the trenches during WWI - ignoring the use of the nickname for the previous 20-30 years; hell, the Pomegranate theory can trace it's way in writing back to the early years of WWI IIRC.
Incidentally, IIRC there's no evidence that the nickname dates as far back as when England stopped deporting her convicts to Aus - not to mention that the same nickname also comes from NZ and South Africa, where we didn't send our convicts - both peaces of information lend further credence to the acronym being complete and utter bollox.
Out of interest - acronyms were pretty rare before WWII - IIRC it was the widespread use of radio transmissions during the war itself that brought them into popular use in the military, and then spreading from there. Obviously, they existed before, just pretty rare. Etymologically aconyms proposed to originate earlier are considered very dubious.

[rowan]

You've just written a lot of drivel there, none of which is remotely true, I'm afraid. Urban myth and nothing more. I spoke to my French colleague about it, this afternoon, and he laughed at these silly, nonsensical ideas, assuring me the French know nothing about any of this. A couple of my British and Aussie colleagues were quite sure, also, that it derived from Prisoners of her Majesty. Another theory was it might have been short for Pompous, but I don't think that's correct either.

[rowan]

For the infantile ignoramuses aboard, Thistles has been used for 7s.

Claymores was a good name. American football is way better at this...

[OptimisticJock]

No it wasn't.

[morepork]

Drivel. He talked to a French colleague. The jury is out.

Let's get all the POMS, Frogs, Taffs, Micks, Thistles, Crims, and Kiwis over to the thread so all can be educated on the cultural idiosyncrasies they are all wrong about.

Form an orderly queue.

[rowan]

Drivel. He talked to a French colleague. The jury is out.

Let's get all the POMS, Frogs, Taffs, Micks, Thistles, Crims, and Kiwis over to the thread so all can be educated on the cultural idiosyncrasies they are all wrong about.

Form an orderly queue.

In fact, most of my colleagues are linguistics experts with post-graduate degrees relating to the topic. They're not a bunch of losers and rednecks who sit around chatting about Trump on a rugby forum all day or anything...

[morepork]

Ooooh. My friends have post-graduate degrees, in lingustics no less. My friends are very convenient and considerably more smarter than any of your friends.

Shouldn't you be updating the Finnish over 30 disabled transgender 7s competition thread or something?

[rowan]

Ooooh. My friends have post-graduate degrees, in lingustics no less. My friends are very convenient and considerably more smarter than any of your friends.

Shouldn't you be updating the Finnish over 30 disabled transgender 7s competition thread or something?

Sure, I'll get to that. Meanwhile, it would be greatly appreciated if you guys could post some more of your interesting theories on this thread for us to amuse ourselves with during tea breaks tomorrow. I had the entire department rolling around on the carpet in fits of hysterics with this stuff today!

[OptimisticJock]

'Kin hell. Your Christmas party must be awesome.

[morepork]

That explains a lot about the funny images thread.


Rowan....what department would that be then?

[Mellsblue]

The thread that keeps on giving.

[rowan]

Materials and Syllabus Design for corporate, university and private academy langauge courses, mostly in English but also French. We do a lot of other stuff too, but that's the crux of it.

Anyway, more of these interesting theories, please. The one about the word Pom deriving from the English eating lots of potatoes in the trenches of WWI was especially amusing to the staff since potatoes were in very scarce supply at the time. More likely the English would have ended up being dubbed the 'Bully Beefs' or 'Hard Biscuits' had that been the case

[Mellsblue]

Desperately trying to deflect from the fact that the op was 95% bollocks.

[rowan]

Desperately trying to deflect from the fact that the op was 95% bollocks.

I have so much respect for your view on this, Monsieur Mellsblue. Really.

[Mellsblue]

Desperately trying to deflect from the fact that the op was 95% bollocks.

I have so much respect for your view on this, Monsieur Mellsblue. Really.

Merci.

[Which Tyler]

You've just written a lot of drivel there, none of which is remotely true, I'm afraid. Urban myth and nothing more. I spoke to my French colleague about it, this afternoon, and he laughed at these silly, nonsensical ideas, assuring me the French know nothing about any of this. A couple of my British and Aussie colleagues were quite sure, also, that it derived from Prisoners of her Majesty. Another theory was it might have been short for Pompous, but I don't think that's correct either.

All this means is that you spoke to some people who were wrong.

And exactly why would expect someone to know just because they're French?

As for linguists - there is a pretty huge difference between a linguist and an etymologist - as any linguist will tell you. So unless they're late 19th century linguists, or also etymologists then they're opinion is irrelevant; and if they are late 19th century linguists or also etymologists, then they'll be agreeing with me here (or possibly hold different opinions ions from most etymologists for no apparent reason)

[Stones of granite]

You've just written a lot of drivel there, none of which is remotely true, I'm afraid. Urban myth and nothing more. I spoke to my French colleague about it, this afternoon, and he laughed at these silly, nonsensical ideas, assuring me the French know nothing about any of this. A couple of my British and Aussie colleagues were quite sure, also, that it derived from Prisoners of her Majesty. Another theory was it might have been short for Pompous, but I don't think that's correct either.

All this means is that you spoke to some people who were wrong.

And exactly why would expect someone to know just because they're French?

Really? In an argument about how Australians derived the term “Pom” to refer to the English, who else would you ask? Why, the French, of course. Asking e.g. Belgians would be plain silly.

[Which Tyler]

Really? In an argument about how Australians derived the term “Pom” to refer to the English, who else would you ask? Why, the French, of course. Asking e.g. Belgians would be plain silly.

Maybe he meant the difference between the French for apple and the French for potato - which apparently he needed to ask someone to find out.

[rowan]

Materials and Syllabus Design for corporate, university and private academy langauge courses, mostly in English but also French. We do a lot of other stuff too, but that's the crux of it.

Anyway, more of these interesting theories, please. The one about the word Pom deriving from the English eating lots of potatoes in the trenches of WWI was especially amusing to the staff since potatoes were in very scarce supply at the time. More likely the English would have ended up being dubbed the 'Bully Beefs' or 'Hard Biscuits' had that been the case

There is also the minor contrariety of the time factor, as the term is known to predate WWI.

[Which Tyler]

There is also the minor contrariety of the time factor, as the term is known to predate WWI.

Which you'd already know if you read other people's posts - or asked an etymologist.

Mind you, doing that might show that I also called the pomme de terre theory both theoretical, and false; which might undermine your informing that that it is wrong.

In a page or so you'll probably come up with this revelation that pom comes from "pomegranate" as a rhyming slang for "immigrant" with a secondary application as being a red faced fruit for a red faced (sunburned) person. You might even discover that it's possible that it evolved as a rhyming slang for (something like) a Jonny/Jimmy Grant as an older Aussie rhyming slang for immigrant.

[rowan]

There is also the minor contrariety of the time factor, as the term is known to predate WWI.

Which you'd already know if you read other people's posts - or asked an etymologist.

Mind you, doing that might show that I also called the pomme de terre theory both theoretical, and false; which might undermine your informing that that it is wrong.

In a page or so you'll probably come up with this revelation that pom comes from "pomegranate" as a rhyming slang for "immigrant" with a secondary application as being a red faced fruit for a red faced (sunburned) person. You might even discover that it's possible that it evolved as a rhyming slang for (something like) a Jonny/Jimmy Grant as an older Aussie rhyming slang for immigrant.

Rhyming slang, over a century ago! That's a good one. Are you sure it wasn't rap - or hip hop!

Anyway, thanks for this. My colleagues are going to pee themselves reading this stuff tomorrow during the tea-break. We might even frame this one!!

[Which Tyler]

Rhyming slang, over a century ago! That's a good one. Are you sure it wasn't rap - or hip hop!

Anyway, thanks for this. My colleagues are going to pee themselves reading this stuff tomorrow during the tea-break. We might even frame this one!!

Well, if they actually linguists, they probably will be laughing - that you equate rhyming slang to modern music. If it's all that modern, why was Dickens speaking out against it in the mid-19th century?
That or, of course, you're doing your best Trump impression by talking out of your arse, then further lying to cover for your lies.

For the record, unlike acronyms, or the nickname "Pom / Pommie": rhyming slang probably was exported to Aus with the convict ships.

[rowan]

Rhyming slang, over a century ago! That's a good one. Are you sure it wasn't rap - or hip hop!

Anyway, thanks for this. My colleagues are going to pee themselves reading this stuff tomorrow during the tea-break. We might even frame this one!!

Well, if they actually linguists, they probably will be laughing - that you equate rhyming slang to modern music.
That or, of course, you're doing your best Trump impression of talking out of your arse, then further lying to cover for your lies.

Who said anything about music? I said rap & hip hop, and was referring to the lyrics, which comprise largely of rhyme, therefore there is an extremely obvious basis for comparison, which only a complete idiot would be capable of missing.

Anyway, keep this stuff coming. We're gonna have a field day with this in the office!!

[Which Tyler]

Wriggle wriggle little work, how I wonder why you squirm.

Let me know when you've spoken to a real etymologist, or even a lexigrapher. For now, you're just embarrassing yourself.
You do know that it's okay to be wrong yeah? You don't have to lie and obfuscate to make it seem that you were right all along, and that it's the rest of the world who was wrong.