John o' Groats

English

Etymology

Named after Jan de Groot, a Dutchman who once plied a ferry from the Scottish mainland to Orkney.

Proper noun

John o' Groats

  1. A village in northeast Caithness, Highland council area, Scotland. It is known because the distance between it and Land's End is geographically the longest distance between any two points on the mainland of Great Britain (OS grid ref ND3872).
    • 1913, Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes, The Lodger:
      "It’s fair getting on my mind," he said, "these horrible things happening. I’d like to get right away from London, just as far as I could—that I would!"
      "Up to John-o’-Groat’s?" said Daisy, laughing.

Translations

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