Phrase guide

indict a ham sandwich

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ɪnˈdaɪt‿ə ˌhæm ˈsændwɪt͡ʃ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

Of a grand jury: to charge a person with a crime, despite a perceived lack of evidence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, excessive, humorous, idiomatic, intransitive

Qualifier: criminal law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Possibly alluding to ham sandwich (“something utterly commonplace, of modest value”). The term was popularized by the American jurist Sol Wachtler (born 1930) who used it in 1985 shortly after his appointment as Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals when expressing the view that the use of grand juries to bring indictments should be abolished: see the quotation from 1985.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: asettaa syytteeseen todisteitta — of a grand jury: to charge a person with a crime, despite a perceived lack of evidence
  • Macedonian: да обвини без докази (da obvini bez dokazi) — of a grand jury: to charge a person with a crime, despite a perceived lack of evidence