Meanings
nounair sandwich (plural air sandwiches)
plural air sandwiches
- informalA sandwich consisting only of bread and optionally a spread, but no filling.
Glancing into his wallet, he had just enough to cover it and a tad left to make it through the day's expenses, providing he had an air sandwich and glass of water for lunch.
2005, Stephen Lissberger, The Conscious Hours, page 91 - derogatoryidiomaticinformalbusinessA strategy that has high-level direction and low-level operations, but little in the middle.
Origin
(business strategy): Coined by Nilofer Merchant.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
air sandwich. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/air%20sandwich
MLA
“air sandwich.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/air%20sandwich. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “air sandwich,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/air%20sandwich.
Source: air sandwich on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.