Advertisement

grinder (n.)

Old English grindere "one who grinds (grain);" agent noun from grind (v.). Meaning "molar tooth" is late 14c. (Old English had grindetoð). Meaning "machine for milling" is from 1660s; of persons, from late 15c. "Large sandwich" sense is from 1954, American English, though the exact signification is uncertain (perhaps from the amount of chewing required to eat one).

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of grinder from WordNet

grinder (n.)
a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States;
Synonyms: bomber / hero / hero sandwich / hoagie / hoagy / Cuban sandwich / Italian sandwich / poor boy / sub / submarine / submarine sandwich / torpedo / wedge / zep
grinder (n.)
grinding tooth with a broad crown; located behind the premolars;
Synonyms: molar
grinder (n.)
machinery that processes materials by grinding or crushing;
Synonyms: mill / milling machinery
grinder (n.)
a machine tool that polishes metal;
From wordnet.princeton.edu