hero sandwich

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hero sandwich¹

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

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

Two weeks earlier, a sea gull clutching an entire hero sandwich landed near their lawn.

From New York Times

Now he’s turned his attention to the Italian hero sandwich.

From Los Angeles Times

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 Literature