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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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ATHENS OF THE NORTH, prop.. n. EdinburghSc. a.1842 William Maginn Miscellaneous Writings Vol. I (1885) 26:
This Edinburgh some call Metropolis,
And Capital, and Athens of the North—
I know not what they mean.Sc. 1854 George Menzies Poems 65:
Enthron'd upon the hills that rise
Above the gleaming Forth,
Dun Edin [Edinburgh] sits in Queenly pride,
The Athens of the North.Sc. 1873 Scotsman 1 Nov 6:
Mr Hew Ainslie.—All lovers of Scottish song will regret to hear of the death of this fine writer ... The Scottish American Journal adds:— ... he obtained a situation in the Register Office, Edinburgh, which introduced him into the literary circles of the Athens of the North; ...Sc. 1896 Scotsman 21 Jun 3:
... the Senatus Academicus of Edinburgh ... has intimated to the Senator Giosuè ... that it has conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. [His] acknowledgement ... runs as follows:—"... this Athens of the North, most illustrious mother of learning, ... tenders a yet more kindly demonstration of goodwill to my country ..."Sc. 1949 Scotsman 18 Aug 6:
Mr Demetri G. Skouzes, President of the Municipal Council of Athens, arrived in Edinburgh yesterday ... bringing with him a Grecian urn containing soil from the Acropolis as a presentation from Athens to "the Athens of the North".Sc. 1967 R. J. A. White A Short History of England 192:
... the Scottish Enlightenment of Hume, and Robertson, and Adam Smith, with Edinburgh rising into the intellectual and architectural glories of the 'Athens of the North' whose latter-day conquest of the Sassenachs finally came with Sir Walter Scott and the Waverley novels.Sc. 1972 Tom Stoppard Jumpers (1974) 51:
... On the other hand, McFee, who sees professorship as a licence for eccentricity, and whose chief delusion is that Edinburgh is the Athens of the North, ... was rewarded with the Chair ...m.Sc. 1992 Iain Banks The Crow Road (1993) 93:
He refused to rise to the bait about strikes and power cuts. He guessed that 'A of the N' meant Athens of the North. 'Are you sure the Lochranza ferry runs outside the high season, anyway?'Sc. 2002 Evening Times 7 Jan 4:
It says of Edinburgh's neo-Grecian heritage, "some Scots like to call it the Athens of the north but they exaggerate a little."Sc. 2003 Daily Telegraph 6 Sep 5:
The past few years have brought a series of books in praise of Scotland. Devolution-conscious, no doubt. Among them is a sub-genre where the Scotland of the 18th and early 19th centuries is seen as the cradle of modern civilisation. The perception has a long history. Two hundred years ago, the novelist John Galt referred to the Athens of the North, with a touch of irony, as "the metropolis of mind".Sc. 2003 Edinburgh Evening News 29 Oct 14:
So in a city world renowned for its built heritage, we are the Athens of the North after all, why is it that buildings owned by the council are being allowed to crumble?Sc. 2004 Daily Record 16 Apr 15:
It's said to be the Athens of the North but one street in Edinburgh is more like the slums of Naples.
Now Niddrie Mains Road in Craigmillar is one of three finalists for the title of the Shabbiest High Street in Britain.Sc. 2004 News of the World 18 Jul :
Born in Edinburgh — the Athens of the North — Butler booked her place in the UK team with a strong run in the 10km trials at Watford, ... Sc. 2005 Edinburgh Evening News 11 Apr 13:
So what should we be telling them to lure them to the Athens of the north? Just as the Canadians are trying to lure Scots, we should be doing the home-from-home bit.