Spain and the other in Africa
Preserved but no longer current.
The tale is that they were bound together till Hercules tore them asunder in order to get to Gades (Cadiz). The ancients called them Calpe and Abyla; we call them Gibraltar and Mount Hacho, on which stands the fortress of Ceuta.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Spain and the other in Africa” mean?
The tale is that they were bound together till Hercules tore them asunder in order to get to Gades (Cadiz). The ancients called them Calpe and Abyla; we call them Gibraltar and Mount Hacho, on which stands the fortress of Ceuta.
Is “Spain and the other in Africa” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.