Gretna Green

noun

a village in S Scotland, near the English border, to which many English couples formerly eloped to be married.

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Examples from the Web for gretna green

Historical Examples of gretna green

Carlisle and its famous castle, and Gretna-Green, are more in the interior.
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 10, No. 2, August 1837
Various
"A Gretna-Green affair, I presume, sir," observed the inquisitive landlord.
Three Courses and a Dessert
Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for gretna green

Gretna Green

noun

a village in S Scotland, in Dumfries and Galloway on the border with England: famous smithy where eloping couples were married by the blacksmith from 1754 until 1940, when such marriages became illegal. Pop: 2705 (2001)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gretna green

Gretna Green

town in Scotland just across the border, proverbial from late 18c. as the customery place for English couples to run off and be married without parental consent.