A machine or tool that crushes, grinds, or breaks something into smaller pieces, or a sandwich made on a long roll with meat and toppings.
From 'grind' (Old English 'grindan') plus the agent suffix '-er' meaning 'one who grinds.' The sandwich meaning emerged in American English, likely because the hard crust and tough ingredients require vigorous chewing, like grinding.
The sandwich called a 'grinder' has different names in different American cities—it's a 'sub' in the North, a 'hoagie' in Philadelphia, and a 'po'boy' in New Orleans—which shows how the same food gets completely different words depending on local culture and history.
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