<P> In 1916, a Polish American employee of Feltman's named Nathan Handwerker was encouraged by Eddie Cantor and Jimmy Durante, both working as waiters / musicians, to go into business in competition with his former employer . Handwerker undercut Feltman's by charging five cents for a hot dog when his former employer was charging ten . </P> <P> At an earlier time in food regulation, when the hot dog was suspect, Handwerker made sure that men wearing surgeon's smocks were seen eating at Nathan's Famous to reassure potential customers . </P> <P> The term dog has been used as a synonym for sausage since the 1800s, with one thought being that it came from accusations that sausage makers used dog meat, starting in at least 1845 . In the early 20th century, consumption of dog meat in Germany was common . The suspicion that sausages contained dog meat was "occasionally justified". </P> <P> An early use of hot dog in reference to sausage - meat appears in the Evansville (Indiana) Daily Courier (September 14, 1884): "even the innocent' wienerworst' man will be barred from dispensing hot dog on the street corner". It was used to mean a sausage in casing in the Paterson (New Jersey) Daily Press (31 December 1892): "the' hot dog' was quickly inserted in a gash in a roll". Subsequent uses include the New Brunswick (New Jersey) Daily Times (May 20, 1893), the New York World (May 26, 1893), and the Knoxville (Tennessee) Journal (September 28, 1893). </P>

Why is a hot dog named a hot dog