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Paladin

(32,354 posts)

33. Isn't it that homely piano player who co-starred in "An American In Paris"?

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Tue Sep 9, 2014, 02:52 PM

Sep 2014

First name was Oscar, as I remember.....

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Who Knows What 'The Levant' Is? [View all] MineralMan Sep 2014 OP

It's a term that dates back to British colonialism when Turkey ruled most Cleita Sep 2014 #1

I'm not "fond" of the term. MineralMan Sep 2014 #4

Earlier, actually. Donald Ian Rankin Sep 2014 #9

The term far predates British colonialism. Xithras Sep 2014 #11

That's where we got the name for Lebanon dtotire Sep 2014 #2

Lebanon's name comes from the Arabic for "white." NuclearDem Sep 2014 #17

I prefer Clusterfuckistan NightWatcher Sep 2014 #3

Indeed it is a lesson. MineralMan Sep 2014 #6

We don't remember what happened 10 years ago, much less 50 or 100 NightWatcher Sep 2014 #10

Indeed. Most Americans don't travel widely in that region. MineralMan Sep 2014 #13

I like Mess O'Potamia myself. n/t Cleita Sep 2014 #7

I have,I grew up in metro Detroit with a huge arab sufrommich Sep 2014 #5

Yes, Lebanon was part of that region. It still is. MineralMan Sep 2014 #8

how about Ile du Levant? hobbit709 Sep 2014 #12

Not really part of the region. MineralMan Sep 2014 #14

Was there once back in the days when my body wouldn't send people screaming away. hobbit709 Sep 2014 #16

"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." -- Ambrose Bierce nt Nuclear Unicorn Sep 2014 #15

Yet another great MM thread. longship Sep 2014 #18

I looked up that area in Turkey on Google Maps MineralMan Sep 2014 #20

Not that uncommon on DU2 muriel_volestrangler Sep 2014 #19

Cool. I just added another one to the mix. MineralMan Sep 2014 #21

Excluding "alert abuse" excludes the more recent results from DU3 muriel_volestrangler Sep 2014 #24

Thanks very much. I'll remember that. MineralMan Sep 2014 #27

I'm surprised to hear that people don't know that term. I've been aware of it since childhood. Bluenorthwest Sep 2014 #22

I knew the term as well, and have been there, too. MineralMan Sep 2014 #23

Myself, as well, but had many Lebanese neighbors. raven mad Sep 2014 #38

As I understand it, "Levant" is a more accurate translation of the Arabic "al-Sham". Marr Sep 2014 #25

I knew....but, I'm so old I can even quote Oscar Levant. ; ) blm Sep 2014 #26

Oscar on the Jack Parr show.... Bluenorthwest Sep 2014 #28

It's a useful term, in that ... frazzled Sep 2014 #29

I agree. The actual current national boundaries don't MineralMan Sep 2014 #30

The old ones were artificial, too frazzled Sep 2014 #31

That's true. It has been a contentious region for a very long time. MineralMan Sep 2014 #32

Isn't it that homely piano player who co-starred in "An American In Paris"? Paladin Sep 2014 #33

Well played! MineralMan Sep 2014 #34

Thank you, sir. I'm here all week. Paladin Sep 2014 #36

My guess is the word comes from lever, the French verb for lifting, maybe because the JDPriestly Sep 2014 #35

No, your guess was right, according to the OED: muriel_volestrangler Sep 2014 #37