John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718–1792), was an avid card gambler. As the story goes, one day in 1762 he refused to leave the gaming table for a meal and ordered his servant to bring him beef tucked between two slices of bread. That way he could eat with one hand without soiling the cards. Other gamblers began ordering "the same as Sandwich," and so sandwich became a common noun. Some historians, however, offer an alternative reading: that the Earl simply ate this quick meal while buried in his official duties.