gomer

noun

1. (alt-of, alternative)Alternative form of gomer.
2. (alt-of, alternative, archaic, historical)Alternative 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.”

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

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

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

4. (derogatory, slang)A stupid, awkward, or oafish person.

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

   “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.”

   “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.”

5. (US, derogatory, slang)An 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.”

6. (US, slang)An 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.”

7. A 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.
8. (derogatory)An 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.”

   “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”

9. (derogatory, slang)A dirty, senile, or otherwise unpleasant patient.

   “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."”

   “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."”

10. (informal, slang)A patient who does not respond to medical treatment.

    “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.”

11. (alt-of, alternative)Alternative form of GOMER.

name

1. (countable)A surname.
2. (countable, uncountable)The 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.”