hero etymology

sclements at NEO.RR.COM sclements at NEO.RR.COM
Sun Mar 18 21:16:41 UTC 2012


"Hero" for the "submarine/etc" sandwich hasn't been in vogue for more than 25 years.  If I"m wrong, then cite it.

If you want a Greek/pita sandwich(faux lamb), then say "YEAR-roe."

Sam Clements

---- Larry Sheldon <LarrySheldon at COX.NET> wrote:
> On 3/18/2012 3:39 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>
> > Interestingly (to me, at least), the earlier definitions culled by
> > Barry seem to involve an either-or, but by the time I began buying
> > and consuming them in the mid 1950s, they were a both- (or rather
> > all-) and: not salami *or* prosciutto *or* other ham or cheese or
> > both, but always all of the above, plus chopped onions and peppers,
> > with a layer of olive oil, and something that was probably sprinkled
> > oregano and maybe other herbs.  Mmmm.  (I don't recall tuna being an
> > option--but maybe I just never asked.  And yes, we always assumed--in
> > both NYC and central Maine (lake district), where the term was also
> > used--that the name referred to anyone (e.g. us) who could eat the
> > whole thing at a single sitting.
>
> Sounds like what we called "submarine sandwiches" farther down the
> Atlantic Coast.
>
> And "subs" just about every place else I've been (Antedating the Subway
> chain by a lot).
>
> The one that worries me in areas where "hero" is the nom du jour, what
> do I ask for if I want the Grecian delicacy?
>
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