The Origin of a Sandwich

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Sometimes it’s easy to know the meaning of English words if you recognize their Latin roots:

bene --> means good --> English word = benefit

manu --> means hand --> English word = manual

There are other times when we’re not so lucky, especially when the word doesn’t give you any clue at all. Sandwich is a perfect example with a funny story to explain its name.

The word sandwich originated in London one night in 1762 when John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, was too busy gambling to stop for a meal. He ordered a waiter to bring him roast beef between two slices of bread. The Earl was able to continue his gambling while eating and, from that incident, the sandwich was born. He put the meat on slices of bread so he wouldn’t get his fingers greasy while he was playing cards.

The sandwich food is a noun. Sandwich can also be a verb, which means to be squeezed between a tight or restricted space. Example: She sandwiched her little car between two SUV’s in the parking lot.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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