gomer

plural gomers

1. alternativearchaichistoricalunits of measureAlternative form of omer: a former Hebrew unit of dry volume equal to about 2.3 L or 2.1 quarts.

   On the morrow, the 16th, after having offered to God the homer, they began eating the corn of the country; and the 17th the manna ceased to fall from heaven. What supports this calculation is, that the gomer, or sheaf, was offered the 16th of Nisan, in broad day-light, though pretty late.

   1801, Thomas Coke, A Commentary on the Holy Bible, page 20

plural gomers

1. A conical chamber at the breech of the bore in heavy ordnance, especially in mortars.

   All iron mortars now in use have gomer chambers and brass ones conical.

   1847, Augustus Frederick Oakes, The Young Artillery Officer's Assistant, page 15

   1 more example

   [Table] of dimensions of howitzers, stone and Gomer mortars, vol. 1. p. 250.

   1809, Louis de Tousard, American Artillerist's Companion, page 659

plural gomers

1. derogatoryslangA stupid, awkward, or oafish person.

   “Lordy Jeezus,” he said out loud. When did he become such a gomer?

   2005, Ralph Hardy, Lefty, iUniverse, published 2004, →ISBN, page 25

   2 more examples

   Okay, you wanted to go to the Big Apple, but didn't want to sit in traffic or feel like a country hic, as you stare up at all 'dem big buildins'. Try Universal Studios Florida's version of New York, where you can stare at all the fake big buildings all you want and not feel like a total Gomer.

   2007, Brian McDaniel, Walt Disney World: The Full Report, iUniverse, published 2007, →ISBN, page 147

   Everyone will have to guess who I want to dance with tonight, I thought. I'm not giving myself away to this bunch of gomers. That would be way too embarrassing.

   2008, Julie Johnson Oliver, I've Been 16 for 34 Years, Groveland Branch Press, published 2008, →ISBN, page 72

   Synonyms: idiot

2. USderogatoryslanggovernmentAn inept trainee or serviceperson.

   These recruits were given such sobriquets as moron, idiot, or Gomer (after the television marine Gomer Pyle). There were constant comparisons between wayward recruits and animals or vegetables.

   1993, James Ebert, A Life in a Year: The American Infantryman in Vietnam, 1965-1972, page 34

3. USslanggovernmentAn opponent in combat or in training.

   We were almost invisible in our tiger stripes and ghillie suits. However, as the unit marched by, a lone gomer broke rank and ventured into the high, wet saw grass that concealed our position.

   2010, Brian Easton, Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter, page 22

4. husbandryA male animal (cattle, swine, horse mainly) used to arouse a female or detect, through her induced behavior, her hormonal availability for reproduction. Also called a teaser, a gomer may or may not be neutered, unless this element draws the line between those two synonyms. This particular meaning could also be the originator of the Gomer Pyle entry and not be a derivative.

plural gomers · alternative GOMER · alternative gomere

1. derogatorymedical slangAn undesirable hospital patient, or a patient who does not need medical care.

   That patient is a total GOMER. Turf him and let's get some lunch.

   1 more example

   Mumford (1970) noted that the terms ‘crock’, ‘gomer’, and ‘turkey’, were sometimes utilized by interns to designate different types of undesirable patients, and sometimes used synonymously. At Bayview, gomer was the preferred term

   1976, Stephen Charles Frankel, Emergency Medical Care in an Urban Area, page 118

2. derogatoryslangA dirty, senile, or otherwise unpleasant patient.

   As a consequence of their loss of their personhood, the medical subculture has coined a lexicon of pejorative, cynical, and insulting names for demented patients, the most common of which is "gomer."

   2008, James Bernat, Ethical Issues in Neurology, page 359

   1 more example

   It was 3:00 a.m. and an elderly homeless person had just been admitted to the emergency room. [...] One resident seemed tired and angry and said, "I can't believe we got beeped out of bed for this gomer."

   2001, David Thomasma, Thomasine Kimbrough Kushner, Ward Ethics: Dilemmas for Medical Students and Doctors in Training, page 163

3. informalslangA patient who does not respond to medical treatment.

   1 more example

   The number of problems the two groups of patients presented to physicians was comparable; however, the pattern of their hospital stays contrasted dramatically. Gomer patients remained in the hospital longer than other patients, and had more consultations for diagnosis and therapy, and posed more diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas for the physicians who cared for them.

   1985, Deborah B. Leiderman, Jean-Anne Grisso, “The gomer phenomenon”, in Journal of Health and Social Behavior, page 225

plural GOMERs

1. alternativeAlternative form of gomer.

plural Gomers

1. countableA surname.
2. countableuncountablebiblicalThe eldest son of Japheth. Equivalent to the Cimmerians.

   The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 10:2

plural Gomers

1. alternativeAlternative form of GOMER.