You’re probably thinking I mean a heart attack, but I’m not.
A coronary comes from the Latin coronarius,
of a crown (from corona, crown). It
wasn’t until the 1670s that coronary became associated with the heart due to
the crown of blood vessels surrounding it.
Perhaps you’d like a cardiac arrest instead. That comes from
the Greek kardiakos for pertaining to
the heart), though the arrest part didn’t become the word we most affix it to
until 1950, when people living on Western diets started dropping like flies.
The ancient peoples were somewhat confused about the
internal organs. The Greek kardia
also means stomach, which is close to the old French cauldun (“bowels”), a word that sounds a lot like cauldron, a
cooking pot. This makes sense in a metaphysical way, the stomach and its acids
roiling away. The term “heartburn” is a result of this verbal proximity if not
its anatomical one.
Whomever invented this exceptional sandwich ought to be
crowned “Big Boy King.” If they’re still around. Which is doubtful.
Cooking for Two,
Better Homes and Gardens, 1968
Also from this book: Goodnight Asparagus, Pizza Burger
