Ali Baba

[ ah-lee bah-bah, al-ee bab-uh ]

noun

1. the poor woodcutter, hero of a tale in The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, who uses the magic words “Open sesame” to open the door to the cave in which the Forty Thieves had hidden their treasure.

Ali Baba

/ ˈælɪ ˈbɑːbə /

noun

1. (in The Arabian Nights' Entertainments ) a poor woodcutter who discovers that the magic words "open sesame" will open the doors of the cave containing the treasure of the Forty Thieves

Ali Baba

1. The title character in “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” a story from the Arabian Nights. Ali Baba gains the treasure of the thieves, which they keep in a cave with a magical entrance.

Notes

Ali Baba opens the door of the thieves' cave with the magical password “Open, sesame.”

Example Sentences

She made several films with Curtis, whom she once dated, including “The Prince Who Was a Thief,” “No Room for the Groom,” “Son of Ali Baba” and “Johnny Dark.”

From Seattle Times

Similar unremarkable roles kept coming her way — “Francis Goes to the Races,” “Son of Ali Baba” with Tony Curtis and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” with Rory Calhoun, among them.

From Los Angeles Times

After the service, he said in an interview that he would usually be out in the field campaigning for his party, the A.P.C., but that he refused to be “part of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves.”

From New York Times

The actress portrayed diverse roles - in her latest show inspired by the folk tale Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, she was playing a royal princess.

From BBC

The next day, as if opening the cavern of Ali Baba, Zappa unlocked the heavy wooden door of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a seemingly simple church.

From Washington Post