Sarnies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A colloquial term for sandwiches, particularly in British English, often implying a casual or informal context
2. Referring to a variety of bread filled with savory ingredients, typically enjoyed as a snack or quick meal
3. Commonly used to denote multiple sandwich creations that can include various fillings and types of bread

Etymology: "Sarnies" is the plural of "sarnie", a casual British word for sandwiches. The noun itself is a clipped form of "sandwich" with the diminutive ending "-ie", the same ending found in words like "brekkie" and "hankie". The likeliest route runs through a dialect pronunciation of the word's first syllable, which would have lost its "d" and lengthened into "sarn" before the "-ie" was added. A second explanation is that "sarnie" grew out of "sammie", an older informal form of the same word, with the "m" of that spelling heard or written as "rn". The two accounts are not mutually exclusive, and the exact path is uncertain. Either way, the word belongs to the family of informal British food names that trim a longer word and add a cheerful ending, which is why it sounds so at home in a school lunchbox or a café counter.

Synonyms: sandwiches, subs, bocadillos