four-way
English
Etymology
The sense referring to a serving of Cincinnati chili was coined in the 1920s by Tom and John Kiradjieff, Slavic-Macedonian immigrants to Cincinnati, for their Empress Chili chain.[1]
Adjective
four-way (not comparable)
- (attributive) relating to four different directions.
- a four-way stop
Derived terms
- four-way stop
Noun
four-way (plural four-ways)
![](Images/wiktionary/4-way_Cincinnati_chili_from_Camp_Washington_Chili_in_Cincinnati_OH_USA.jpg.webp)
four-way chili
- (Cincinnati) A serving of Cincinnati chili with spaghetti, cheese, and onions or sometimes beans.
Coordinate terms
- three-way
- five-way
- six-way
References
- Woellert, Dann (2013) The Authentic History of Cincinnati Chili, The History Press, →ISBN, retrieved November 20, 2015, page 29:
- Coming from such a cultural crossroads, the brothers Kiradjieff spoke Macedonian, Bulgarian, Greek, Turkish and English. But they also created another language: the chili lingo that is still used today when ordering at a chili parlor. To aid in ordering, 'chili spaghetti with cheese on top' was shortened to 'three-way'. This was done to let servers shout their orders quickly to the cooks during a busy lunchtime.