Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 2005 (SND, online supplement).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
POLO MINT CITY, prop.n. [f. its large number of roundabouts.] Nickname for East Kilbride.Sc. 1995 Scotsman 14 Aug 4:
Large areas of land were set aside for car parks, dual-carriageways became almost the norm, and roundabouts became so commonplace that East Kilbride became known as Polo Mint City.Sc. 2004 Scotland on Sunday 8 Aug 7:
It is known as Polo Mint City, in recognition of its most prominent feature: the plethora of roundabouts.Sc. 2005 Tam Cowan http://icscotland.icnetwork.co.uk/eatdrink/restaurants/guide/central2/ :
EK is affectionately known as Polo Mint City. Do all the locals have honking breath? Or is it a great place to visit at the weekend if you're looking for your ... nah, better not.
The nickname is all thanks to all of the roundabouts in East Kilbride. Something like 13,450 at the last count and I reckon we spun round 13,449 of them trying to find the village of Auldhouse.
