n. A sandwich originating in New Orleans consisting of meat or seafood, such as roast beef or fried oysters, and often lettuce, tomatoes, and condiments, served on French bread. [Probably from POOR + BOY (perhaps in reference to the free sandwiches given to striking streetcar workers (considered "poor boys") by the Martin Brothers Coffee Stand during a transit strike in New Orleans in 1929), or perhaps from folk-etymological alteration of French pourboire, pourboire (said to have been used in New Orleans also in the sense "alms given to beggars," and then applied in English to the sandwiches distributed by nuns as alms); see pourboire in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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