surf and turf

English

Etymology

From the environments of the animals used in its preparation (surf being the sea and turf the land), chosen for the rhyme. The earliest-known published use is in a 1967 advertisement in the Buffalo, New York Yellow Pages, placed by a restaurant called Michael's House of Steaks.

Noun

surf and turf (uncountable)

1. A meal that combines seafood and meat, typically lobster or shrimp and steak.

Alternative forms

• surf 'n' turf

Translations

Translations

• French: terre et mer, mer et terre, terre & mer, mer & terre
• German: Surf and Turf (de) n
• Spanish: mar y tierra

See also

• reef and beef

Further reading

• “surf and turf”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “surf and turf”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “surf and turf”, in Collins English Dictionary.