Meanings
- derogatoryhumorousinformalA nickname for Leith, a suburb of Edinburgh, referencing its former independence and implying it has socialist or communist leanings.
"Sir Matt Busby, the first manager to lead a British team into the European Cup? Does that mean Hibs aren't British, then?" Indeed, Matt [Vallance], it did not go unnoticed in the People's Republic of Leith.
2002 December 5, “Beeb's Hall of Fame boobs”, in The Scotsman, page 142 more examples
The People's Republic of Leith can feel removed from the rest of the city – a blessing or a curse depending on your point of view, but if removing yourself from street party madness is a priority there's no better place to do it.
2015 December 30, “Where to go in Edinburgh on Hogmanay outside the street party zone”, in The ScotsmanHaving done the meet and greet at a designated spot in one of four Edinburgh districts (or three Edinburgh districts, plus Leith, if you're of a People's Republic of Leith persuasion), the physically distanced, Covid-compliant strangers embark, chalk in hand, on an hour-long stroll around the local area.
2021 February 21, Mark Brown, “Chalks away for a walk on the white”, in The Sunday National, page 26
Cite this entry
People's Republic of Leith. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/People's%20Republic%20of%20Leith
“People's Republic of Leith.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/People's%20Republic%20of%20Leith. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “People's Republic of Leith,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/People's%20Republic%20of%20Leith.
Source: People's Republic of Leith on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.