Does anybody know the etymology of slider, slang for tiny hamburgers like those sold at White Castle? It came up last night over dinner. I don’t know and surprisingly, my uncle doesn’t know. The Wikipedia entry for hamburger notes that it is a naval term, but that is not very specific.

By the way, I’ve never been to White Castle. I think New Jersey and New York are the only eastern states that have them and I moved out of the former before I was 2 years old. Maybe next time I am passing through the Garden State, I’ll make it a point to stop if I see one. I don’t think there are any of the roads to Long Beach Island or Avalon/Stone Harbor though.