Definitions

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  • noun Australia, UK An assisted immigrant to Australia from Britain, from the years following World War II.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From ten + pound ("unit of currency") + pom ("British person"); compare ten pound tourist. An allusion to the immigrant′s contribution (in sterling) paid for passage to Australia under an assisted immigration scheme, the remainder being paid by the Australian government. The scheme operated from 1946 to 1982; in 1973 the immigrant contribution was increased to £75.

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  • An Australian term for British migrants of the 1950's and 1960's. Pom was/is a term for a Britisher while ten pounds was the fare they paid for the five-week sea voyage.

    February 22, 2009