# Omar **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2010, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415 "2010-07-03T12:16:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/1 "2010-07-03T12:16:31Z")
Without looking any further, before seeing what others may have said, what’s the first thing to pop into your mind when you think of “Omar”? ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/2 "2010-07-03T13:02:43Z")
Honestly? “Omar the Tentmaker.” As is: “If I don’t lay off these donuts right now, I’m going to have to start having my dresses made by Omar the Tentmaker.” I thought of other Omars right after (wish I could have said Omar Khayyam which would have been a lot more intellectual sounding) – but, truly, my very first thought was Omar the Tentmaker. Not sure what that says about me. ---
**Author:** ![KinkiNipponTourist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9bcb4/32.png) [@KinkiNipponTourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KinkiNipponTourist)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/3 "2010-07-03T13:10:33Z")
Sydney Omarr, I think his name was. Astrologer whose column appeared in the Asbury Park Press when I was growing up. _peeking upthread_ Uh, I mean Omar Khayyam. Yeah, that was first (not really). ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/4 "2010-07-03T13:11:33Z")
Omar Sharif. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/5 "2010-07-03T13:12:25Z")
General Omar Bradley comin’! ---
**Author:** ![cgg419](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cgg419/32/2847_2.png) [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/6 "2010-07-03T13:12:55Z")
“Maybe the tiger ate his ass like Omar” “Why? What happened to Omar?” “Nevermind, he’s not with us anymore” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/7 "2010-07-03T13:13:49Z")
Sharif Which then turns into the chorus for Rock The Casbah. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/8 "2010-07-03T13:14:54Z")
> [@SkeptiJess](#): > > Honestly? “Omar the Tentmaker.” As is: “If I don’t lay off these donuts right now, I’m going to have to start having my dresses made by Omar the Tentmaker.” That sounds too familiar but I can’t place the movie (or TV show) where that line was said very close to that. Does a specific reference come to your mind? Omars I have thought might get mentioned here: Khayyam (as you said) Sharif (Dr. Zhivago) Bradley (WWII General, one of very few 5-stars) Epps (Dr. Foreman on _House_) and the one that made me think to start this thread, Omar Little on _The Wire_, one of the best TV characters to come along. A Yahoo! search on “omar” brings up a lot of names I never heard of, so we’ll just have to see where this leads. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/9 "2010-07-03T13:19:39Z")
Omar Sharif. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/10 "2010-07-03T13:20:27Z")
Omar Epps, and then Omar Bradley. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/11 "2010-07-03T13:23:40Z")
My friend Omar from high school. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/12 "2010-07-03T13:32:35Z")
Omar Sharif Omar Khayyam Omar and the Howlers That’s all I got… ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/13 "2010-07-03T13:35:14Z")
The _Unsolved Mysteries_ episode with the teenage arsonist who taped his own work, with a whispered voiceover that he no doubt thought was menacing but ended up sounding rather silly. LOOK AT IT BURN, OMAR! THIS IS WHAT I BEEN DOIN’ ON YOUR WEEK’S VACATION! I SAID I’D DO IT! I SAID I’D DO IIIIIIITTTTT! GOOD NIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/14 "2010-07-03T13:35:21Z")
I don’t think “Omar the Tentmaker” is a book or movie reference – just kind of a joke I’ve always heard about being so fat your dresses are as large as tents… I thought it was a pretty common silly usage. I’ve definately heard it fairly frequently throughout my life. OK, I just Googled ‘Omar the Tentmaker’ and it would seem that Omar Khayyum’s name actually _meant_ Omar the Tentmaker… like Bob Carpenter, I guess. Who knew? Also, there was a popular novel in the late 1800’s titled “Omar the Tentmaker,” followed in 1922 by a silent film of the same name. I suppose that’s how the phrase moved into the lexicon, eventually becoming the joking exaggeration I mention above. The Urban Dictionary has my meaning as a definition. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/15 "2010-07-03T14:26:41Z")
My THird Period grammar class, he sits on my left. Why? ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/16 "2010-07-03T14:28:58Z")
Omar Little,_The Wire_ ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/17 "2010-07-03T14:29:48Z")
Omar & the Howlers. Omar’s motorcycle parts. Unclviny ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/18 "2010-07-03T14:33:23Z")
> [@Peanut\_Gallery](#): > > Omar Little,_The Wire_ Post #16! Right you are! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/19 "2010-07-03T14:36:05Z")
To many years writing crossword clues, my first thought was “Sharif or Epps.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415/20 "2010-07-03T16:43:12Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Without looking any further, before seeing what others may have said, what’s the first thing to pop into your mind when you think of “Omar”? The [VF-111 mascot](http://www.militaryflighthelmets.net/VF-111_YELLO.jpg). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omar/545415.md?page=2)