hero sandwich

American  

noun

1. a large sandwich, usually consisting of a small loaf of bread or long roll cut in half lengthwise and containing a variety of ingredients, as meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.

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Regionalisms

The terms hero sandwich and hero, once largely associated with the New York City and Northern New Jersey area, are now too widely spread to warrant a specific regional label. This same sandwich is also called a submarine or a sub, especially in Northeastern and North Midland U.S. English, although this use has spread south along the Atlantic coast and as far west as Los Angeles. torpedo, though less common, has also spread to various regions. The sandwich is called a grinder, chiefly in New England and the Inland North, though this use has spread to the South and West. Spuky is restricted to the Boston area, while wedge is a common synonym in Rhode Island and coastal Connecticut. Hoagy (or hoagie ) is used chiefly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, especially Philadelphia, though it too has spread to other regions. Poor boy (or poboy ) is chiefly New Orleans use, originally referring to a somewhat different sandwich in which distinct sections of fillings represented the courses of a meal. Cuban sandwich, usually referring to a grilled sandwich with ham, pork, cheese, etc., is chiefly used in Southern Florida as well as the New York City area.

Etymology

Origin of hero sandwich

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55

Example Sentences

Layering cheese first in this Italian hero sandwich keeps the bread dry and fluffy.

From New York Times • Feb. 16, 2023

Smart's piquant gibes provide comedy meat in this sorrowful hero sandwich, and it's a flavor that shouldn't work here but it does.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2021

Food reproductions were easy to come by, Mr. Fasciano said, pointing out that the realistic plastic hero sandwich was sold by the foot online.

From New York Times • Apr. 9, 2014

In New York it is a hero sandwich; in the South, it is known, unheroically, as a poor boy.

From Time Magazine Archive

They died quickly, “the way a hero sandwich dies in the garment district at twelve o’clock in the afternoon,” as the poet Pinero put it.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez