Definition of TENDERLOIN

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A tenderloin, of course, is a juicy and tasty cut of meat. In the late 19th century, however, Tenderloin saw use as a nickname for the neighborhood of midtown Manhattan, west of Broadway and below 42nd Street. This district, which contained numerous bordellos, gambling houses, and watering holes, alongside theaters and hotels, became a hotbed of corruption - and, it was alleged by some, blackmail by police. The notion of dishonest law enforcers being able to afford a nice meal off activity in this district is believed to have given the Tenderloin its name. Soon the term was applied to similarly seedy districts in other cities.

Examples of tenderloin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Foods that taste good at room temperature include: roasted or smoked meat, a turkey, ham or tenderloin. — Rima Suqi, WSJ, "Holiday Entertaining Tips From the Party Planner to Presidents," 16 Nov. 2018 This succulent pork tenderloin makes a show-stopping Christmas dish. — Fox News, "16 decadent Christmas main dishes," 16 Dec. 2015 Avoid tenderloin, which is not only the most expensive cut but also the least flavorful. — Nancy Stohs, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "5 meats to master on the grill: We went back to school to learn the best techniques," 29 May 2018 Larger plates include beef tenderloin with bone marrow butter; heritage pork chop with apricot and port mostrada; whole fried fish with charred lemon and caponata; half roasted chicken with spicy tomato sauce and couscous; and chuckeye prime rib. — Greg Morago, Houston Chronicle, "New La Vista 101 restaurant opens today," 29 May 2018 Covered with a gorgonzola mornay sauce, the fries share the plate with huge chunks of terrific chargrilled tenderloin, and are kissed with buffalo sauce. — Anna Caplan, star-telegram, "Fries? Check. Wonderfully messy sandwiches? Check. Roll of paper towels? Absolutely," 6 June 2018 The delicacies to be inhaled include ice cream, chicken wings, sliders and pork tenderloin from Handel's Home Made Ice Cream & Yogurt, Ale Emporium, Four Day Ray Brewing and the Nickel Plate Bar & Grill. — John Tuohy, Indianapolis Star, "Speed-eating on menu at Spark!Fishers holiday weekend bash," 28 June 2018 The restaurant uses only chicken breast tenderloins, the strip of meat on the underside of a chicken breast that is considered a premium cut in the poultry business, and these are never frozen. — Larry Olmsted, USA TODAY, "This fast-food chain serves one specialty," 30 May 2018 Serves 4 To make this easy supper, dress up pork tenderloins with a simple French butter sauce enhanced with grainy mustard. — Karoline Boehm Goodnick, BostonGlobe.com, "Recipe: Pound pork tenderloins into cutlets, then saute and add a buttery mustard sauce," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tenderloin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.