# Are Hot Dogs sandwiches? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928 "2014-12-22T17:18:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/61 "2014-12-22T22:35:40Z")
Of course not. In order to be a sandwich you first have to be edible. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/62 "2014-12-22T22:41:47Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > For the two piece of bread requiring people… what if I take one slice of bread and spread Peanut Butter and Jelly on it and then fold it over… is this not a sandwich? If not, how about if I eat the end that is the fold first and then suddenly it becomes two individual pieces of bread… did it just become a sandwich in mid consumption? What it became is origami. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/63 "2014-12-22T23:00:24Z")
_Sandwich_ is one of those words that can refer to either a generic class or a specific instance of that class. _Cat_ is another example; it can refer either to a common housecat or the family _felidae_. I’m sure there is some nice Greek term for this; [tautonym](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tautonym) is close, but only refers to biological examples. So of course a hot dog is a sandwich, and of course I’d be confused if a friend invited me over for sandwiches and got hot dogs instead. Context matters. I might argue that _sandwich_ can take on an even more specific meaning under some circumstances: if someone offered me “subs, sandwiches, or hotdogs”, I wouldn’t be confused, and I’d expect that the sandwiches meant ones made on sliced bread. Subs are obviously sandwiches, but when constrasted against other food items, “sandwich” takes on a slightly different meaning. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/64 "2014-12-22T23:38:23Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Uhh… tuna melt? I’ve never seen a tuna melt made by putting tuna on uncooked bread dough and baking the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/65 "2014-12-23T01:08:04Z")
Technically yes, If I want a hot dog and can’t find one at your restaurant, it’d better not be in “Sandwiches” or I’ll :dubious: so no. Neither should burgers. That’s too pedantic. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > _Sandwich_ is one of those words that can refer to either a generic class or a specific instance of that class. _Cat_ is another example; it can refer either to a common housecat or the family _felidae_. I’m sure there is some nice Greek term for this; [tautonym](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tautonym) is close, but only refers to biological examples. Synecdoche is related, at least. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/66 "2014-12-23T01:57:02Z")
Well, [this book on the history of the hot dog](https://books.google.com/books?id=K83ai6cWO9IC&pg=PA26&dq=%22hot+dog+sandwich%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bsqYVLeYMoeOyATXroGwAw&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22hot%20dog%20sandwich%22&f=false), by the founder of [the Culinary Historians of Chicago](http://culinaryhistorians.org/?page_id=2) calls it a sandwich, so it’s good enough for me. Or just search Google books for “hot dog sandwich,” and you’ll find plenty a reference. Do those who consider hot dogs not to be sandwich also consider lobster rolls as non-sandwiches? I suppose the answer is yes (not a sandwich), but I’d be curious to hear from those who consider lobster rolls a sandwich, but not hot dogs. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/67 "2014-12-23T02:47:02Z")
Has anyone here ever actually heard any native English speaker in any real-life context refer to a hot dog as a “sandwich”? I sure haven’t - words derive meaning from actual use, not from theoretical/“logical” definitions. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/68 "2014-12-23T02:55:31Z")
They’re _popkins_. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/69 "2014-12-23T02:59:29Z")
To be honest, I wouldn’t even call a hamburger a sandwich. I don’t know any Australians who do, and McDonalds don’t market their burgers as “sandwiches” out here, either. To me, a sandwich uses two slices from a loaf of bread with filling in between. Using a bun results in… a bun with filling, not a sandwich as such. So hotdogs aren’t sandwiches, nor are hamburgers, nor are tacos, nor are KFC Double Downs. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/70 "2014-12-23T03:41:34Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > Has anyone here ever actually heard any native English speaker in any real-life context refer to a hot dog as a “sandwich”? > > I sure haven’t - words derive meaning from actual use, not from theoretical/“logical” definitions. To the first part: Absolutely and assuredly, yes. To the second: Actual use matters, but the conceptual meaning conveyed for a category term has to _have_ a logic, else it can’t _actually_ be used categorically. That is, you would be unable to describe anything new as a “sandwich” if you didn’t have a working Platonic idea of sandwichness that stood above all specific sandwiches you had encountered–but of course, we can all do just that. I gave the actual-use logic of “sandwich” at the top of the thread. All usages, except those exempted by “open-face,” conform. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/71 "2014-12-23T03:56:24Z")
I won’t place a vote in a public poll. Personal policy. But no, hot dogs are not sandwiches, nor have I ever heard them referred to as such. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/72 "2014-12-23T04:29:38Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > To me, a sandwich uses two slices from a loaf of bread with filling in between. Using a bun results in… a bun with filling, not a sandwich as such. So hotdogs aren’t sandwiches, nor are hamburgers, nor are tacos, nor are KFC Double Downs. What about fried or grilled chicken or fish between a bun? Is that not a sandwich in Australia? (I don’t know, but there’s absolutely no ambiguity in the US about it being a sandwich.) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/73 "2014-12-23T04:35:26Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > (I don’t know, but there’s absolutely no ambiguity in the US about it being a sandwich.) Apparently there is, because down in my part of the US, no one ever called it a sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/74 "2014-12-23T04:36:45Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > What about fried or grilled chicken or fish between a bun? Is that not a sandwich in Australia? (I don’t know, but there’s absolutely no ambiguity in the US about it being a sandwich.) No, it’s not. Any fellow Aussies are welcome to correct me, however. If it’s in a bun and not specifically between two _slices_ of bread, it’s a bun, not a sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/75 "2014-12-23T04:40:17Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > No, it’s not. Any fellow Aussies are welcome to correct me, however. If it’s in a bun and not specifically between two _slices_ of bread, it’s a bun, not a sandwich. OK, that’s different than US usage, then. So you call it a “chicken bun”? Yeah, we don’t have any nomenclature like that here, to my knowledge. A hamburger is not normally referred to as a sandwich, but it is a sandwich and shows up as such on fast food menus (and I do use the word “sandwich” when ordering in answer to the question “Do you want the meal?” “No, just the sandwich.” This is probably influenced by the fact that on the menu next to the meals, it says [“sandwich”](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/dr/hln/www/release/sites/default/files/imagecache/textarticle_640/2012/09/13/mcdonaldsmenu.jpg)). A fried chicken patty on a bun, though, that is explicitly called a “chicken sandwich” typically here. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/76 "2014-12-23T04:51:35Z")
Hot dogs are American, it doesn’t matter what they’re called in Australia. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/77 "2014-12-23T04:58:07Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Hot dogs are American, it doesn’t matter what they’re called in Australia. This is an international board and there was nothing in the thread asking Americans only, sorry. I just think it’s interesting that the American definition of sandwich is so broad that there’s even a debate about whether or not a hotdog is a sandwich. This is not a judgement. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/78 "2014-12-23T05:05:11Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > This is an international board and there was nothing in the thread asking Americans only, sorry. I just think it’s interesting that the American definition of sandwich is so broad that there’s even a debate about whether or not a hotdog is a sandwich. This is not a judgement. Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. Sandwiches aren’t American, they’re English. It’s just that logic has escaped this thread. Also, Wikipedia says that things like a submarine sandwiches are called rolls where you’re from, is that accurate, and would a hot dog be a roll? ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/79 "2014-12-23T05:08:16Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. Sandwiches aren’t American, they’re English. It’s just that logic has escaped this thread. Also, Wikipedia says that things like a submarine sandwiches are called rolls where you’re from, is that accurate, and would a hot dog be a roll? Yeah, if someone asked me if hot dogs were rolls, I’d say yes. These threads always throw up regionalisms with people talking past each other. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/80 "2014-12-23T05:10:48Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > Yeah, if someone asked me if hot dogs were rolls, I’d say yes. Thanks for responding, that’s kind of interesting. > [@](#): > > These threads always throw up regionalisms with people talking past each other. In this case I was being a jerk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928.md?page=5)