E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Ceca to Mecca (From).
From one end of the world to the other; from pillar to post. It is a Spanish phrase meaning to roam about purposelessly. Ceca and Mecca are two places visited by Mohammedan pilgrims. (Compare: From Dan to Beersheba; and From Land’s End to John o’ Groat’s.)
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“‘Let us return home,’ said Sancho, ‘no longer ramble about from Ceca to Mecca.’”—Cervantes; Don Quixote, I. iii. 4.
