Londongrad en · PROPN
Pronunciation
- /ˈlʌndənɡɹad/ (UK)
Etymology
From London + Russian град (grad, “town”), after placenames such as Leningrad and Kaliningrad.
Meanings
-
(derogatory) London, seen as a haven for Eastern European (especially Russian) exiles.
In summer 2007 I confronted Alistair Darling, the chancellor of the exchequer, over the “Londongrad” phenomenon.
2009, John Kampfner, Freedom for Sale:One recent Russian emigrant to ‘Londongrad’ (also known as ‘Moscow-on-Thames’), argues that, ‘if in the 90s Russian migrants were associated with mobsters and gangsters, now it will be a wave of so-called creative class emigration.’
2012, Christopher Andrew, ‘Colder War’, Literary Review, number 399: