Dictionary

Athens of the North en · PROPN

Meanings

1. (informal) Nickname for Edinburgh: the capital of Scotland.
   • We perceive that a French company of theatrical performers have commenced acting in the Athens of the north with great success. 1828 September 6, “French Theatricals”, in Leeds Mercury, volume 61, number 3293, page 4:
   • Edinburgh, the Athens of the North, boasts more than one Acropolis. 1998, Michael Wills, Elspeth Wills, Walks in Edinburgh's New Town, →ISBN, page 147:
   • Once prim, Edinburgh city centre is a haven for brothels, lap-dancing clubs and strip bars. The Athens of the North has become the Amsterdam of the North. 2003 August 3, Stephen Khan, “Athens of the North? Nowadays it's more like Amsterdam”, in The Guardian:
   • Edinburgh is indeed Castle Perilous, an embodiment of pagan myth and magic which protrudes determinedly into the landscape of serene beauty on which they built the Athens of the North. 1991, Charles McKean, Edinburgh: Portrait of a City, →ISBN, page 2:

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