Merriam-Webster declares ‘hot dog’ a sandwich; Twitter users bite back

What began as a harmless ode to some common Memorial Day cuisine quickly turned into an array of angry and confused tweets aimed at Merriam-Webster’s social media team.

Here’s how brand managers wished their Twitter followers a happy holiday:

Have a great #MemorialDayWeekend. The hot dog is a sandwich. https://t.co/KeNiTAxPAm

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) May 27, 2016

Merriam-Webster defines “sandwich” as:

1. Two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between.
2. One slice of bread covered with food.

Here’s how its editors define “hot dog”:

frankfurter ; especially : a frankfurter heated and served in a long split roll.

The word hot dog refers either to the sausage that you buy squeezed in a plastic package with 7 or so of its kind, or to the same sausage heated and served in a long split roll.

When it's served in the roll, it's also a sandwich.

Pretty close, right? For some, maybe not.

Many people who follow Merriam-Webster for the latest word-related news made their stance on the encased meat definition abundantly clear: A hot dog is not a sandwich.

Twitter users aired their grievances where the debate began—on Merriam-Webster’s profile. Some went as far as to say they no longer trust the dictionary as a resource, or that Merriam-Webster was ruining Memorial Day:

GODDAMNIT @MERRIAMWEBSTER WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? HOT DOGS ARE NOT SANDWICHES. https://t.co/o3rTBvLFn9

— Andrew Husband (@AndrewHusband) May 27, 2016

*Throws out Merriam Webster and buys Oxford* RT @MerriamWebster Have a great #MemorialDayWeekend. The hot dog is a sandwich.

— G (@garrettp63) May 27, 2016

Yes, I will tell Merriam-Webster they are wrong. A hot dog is just the piece of meat & thus cannot be a sandwich. https://t.co/IPrs5eocGn

— Kanye East (@Danmaynard81) May 27, 2016

Authority: (rhetorically) is a hot dog not a sandwich?
Me: (bravely) a hot dog is NOT a sandwich! I will not give in!

— Hermit Thrush (@Hermit_Thrush) May 20, 2016

Others relished in taking Merriam-Webster’s side:

C'mon. Everyone knows that a hot dog is a sandwich.

— Kane (@Kaneshow) May 31, 2016

Spotted in Cuzco, Peru by @timcarroll66....so a hot dog is definitely a sandwich in Peru? http://pic.twitter.com/jup3gSP83c

— TOM Talks (@TOMTalksPod) May 19, 2016

The hot dog is a sandwich. Debate over. https://t.co/Y2Nh3RoEyN via @mashable

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 29, 2016

I can at least comprehend this logic. Just as long as Webster doesn't advocate ketchup as permissible hot dog topper https://t.co/kiqAwAwg5R

— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisWSMV) May 27, 2016

Social media managers for a well-known Chicago eatery also served up their reaction:

Great...Now we can't even trust the dictionary 🌭🙃 #hotdogisnotasandwich https://t.co/fAKYGLd8cr

— Superdawg Chicago (@Superdawg) May 31, 2016

Dictionary editors seemed to know that their, um, frank assessment would have users boiling over with confusion, and they addressed the imminent controversy in the article “10 kinds of sandwiches”:

We know: the idea that a hot dog is a sandwich is heresy to some of you. But given that the definition of sandwich is "two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between," there is no sensible way around it. If you want a meatball sandwich on a split roll to be a kind of sandwich, then you have to accept that a hot dog is also a kind of sandwich.

Whether you like your hot dogs grilled, boiled, broiled or charred, Merriam-Webster says to call it a sandwich.

What do you think, PR Daily readers? Should Merriam-Webster have bitten its tongue on this one? Also, where do you side on this culinary controversy?

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