Word Spy - fakeaway

n. A homemade meal that is similar to a takeaway meal purchased from a restaurant. [Blend of fake and takeaway.]

Example Citations:

If economy and health concerns put you off high street sandwiches, you could find inspiration for making your own tasty fakeaways in new book Sandwiches, Panini and Wraps.
—Ann Evans, "Make your own tasty fakeaways," Coventry Evening Telegraph, August 16, 2008

Cash-strapped workers are shunning shop-bought sandwiches and making their own packed lunch, a leading supermarket said today.

Shoppers trying to survive the credit crunch are also spending less on takeaways and making home-made "fakeaways" of their favourite dishes, according to Sainsbury's.

The supermarket chain said sales of plastic lunch boxes have shot up by more than a third (36%) in the past month and sandwich bag sales have also risen by a quarter (25%).
—Beverley Rouse, Cash-strapped stop buying sandwiches and takeaways," Press Association Newsfile, July 28, 2008

Earliest Citation:

Alison Austin, head of sustainability at Sainsbury's, said: "Fakeaways are here to stay. They're created for a fraction of the cost of traditional takeaways, you know what's going into them and they use up food that would otherwise be chucked out and sent to landfill."

Alison continued: "A staggering third of all the food we buy is thrown out, according to recent research, so what tastier way is there to tackle an environmental problem and save a lot of money? Leftover vegetables and meat are ideal ingredients for curries, and pizzas lend themselves to a huge range of toppings. Cooking fakeaways at home is great fun and is the perfect way to love your leftovers."
—"Sainsbury's reports the emergence of the 'fakeaway'," Twelve Thirty Eight, July 17, 2008

Notes:

The word takeaway — a meal sold to be eaten elsewhere — dates to about 1964. That sense of the word is primarily British. In North America, people use takeaway either in a sports context — to take the ball (or whatever) from an opponent — or to refer to the meaning, substance, or conclusion drawn from a meeting or conversation ("My takeaway from that meeting is that Stephens is overly fond of rutabaga metaphors").

The North American variant on the "meal to go" sense is takeout, which dates to about 1968. So is there a fakeout variant, too? Yup, but it's fairly rare. Here's an example:

Having lived in a few places without good Chinese restaurants, I've become pretty good at what I call Chinese "fake-out" — my own version of our favorite take-out dishes.
—Carrie Munroe, "Wrapping things up in the kitchen and at the Bee," Modesto Bee, August 23, 2006

Category:

Food and Drink

Posted on October 30, 2008