Rock-of-gibraltar

noun
1.
Gibraltar (def 2).
noun
1.
a British crown colony comprising a fortress and seaport located on a narrow promontory near the S tip of Spain. 1.875 sq. mi. (5 sq. km).
2.
Rock of.

Ancient Calpe. a long, precipitous mountain nearly coextensive with this colony: one of the Pillars of Hercules. 1,396 feet (426 meters) high; 2.5 miles (4 km) long.
any person or thing that has strength and endurance that can be relied on.

3.
Strait of, a strait between Europe and Africa at the Atlantic entrance to the Mediterranean. 8.5–23 miles (14–37 km) wide.
4.
any impregnable fortress or stronghold.
noun
1.
City of Gibraltar, a city on the Rock of Gibraltar, a limestone promontory at the tip of S Spain: settled by Moors in 711 and taken by Spain in 1462; ceded to Britain in 1713; a British crown colony (1830–1969), still politically associated with Britain; a naval and air base of strategic importance. Pop: 29 111 (2013 est). Area: 6.5 sq km (2.5 sq miles) Ancient name Calpe
2.
Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow strait between the S tip of Spain and the NW tip of Africa, linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic
Gibraltar [(juh-brawl-tuhr)]

A colony of Britain on the southern coast of Spain.

Note: Located on the Rock of Gibraltar, a huge limestone mass.

Note: Spain has protested British control of Gibraltar, but the dispute has remained unsettled for years.

Note: Location of an important military base; strategically significant because it can be used to keep ships from entering or leaving the Mediterranean Sea.

Note: Its seeming impregnability as a fortress during several wars led to the saying: “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.”