The meaning behind the word sandwich has ventured from location to person to food.

First, it was the name of a place in Kent (UK), Sandwicæ, meaning “sandy harbor”.

From this, it became associated with the noblemen from the area, including the most relevant individual to this story, John Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich, from the 18th century.

With an arguably unhealthy love of gambling, Montagu was known to eat cold meat between two pieces of bread at the gaming table instead of leaving the table for traditional meals.

On a side note, Montagu is also the namesake for the Sandwich Islands of Hawaii.

Happy Wednesday, Nerds! See you next week for more language exploration. Comment below with words you’d like to see in the following weeks. Oh, and don’t forget to preemptively thank the next gambling addict you see; who knows what they’ll invent next!