zem-zem

[Christopher Philippo]

On Jul 28, 2014, at 5:38 PM, George Thompson <george.thompson at NYU.EDU> wrote:
> Presumably from an Arabic word associated with oases.  Or Berber, I
> suppose.  If it's in the OED, it's under a spelling I failed to guess at.

Zamzam or Zam Zam is a specific well in Mecca believed by Muslims to be of historical and religious significance.  Zem-Zem seems to be a different way of transliterating it.  “The Broadway Zem-Zem” is thus akin to writing “The Broadway Mecca,” but seems to also be playing on the subject being a watering trough.

Christopher K. Philippo
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