sandwich
Preserved but no longer current.
A human advertising medium, placed between two boards strapped, one on his breast the other on his shoulders. A "toad in the hole" is the term applied to the same individual when his person is confined by a four-sided box. A gentleman with a lady on each arm is sometimes called a SANDWICH. The French phrase for this kind of SANDWICH, l’âne à deux pannières, is expressive.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “sandwich” mean?
A human advertising medium, placed between two boards strapped, one on his breast the other on his shoulders. A "toad in the hole" is the term applied to the same individual when his person is confined by a four-sided box. A gentleman with a lady on each arm is sometimes called a SANDWICH. The French phrase for this kind of SANDWICH, l’âne à deux pannières, is expressive.
Is “sandwich” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.