The Great Dinner v Tea Debate

[Kala]

Following on from a discussion in today’s daily thread - it’s time we sorted this debate out once and for all. There are various names used, predominantly in the UK for the meals eaten in the early afternoon and in the evening. But what do you call them?

Let me know in the comments if your choice isn’t listed and I will add it.

 

[GNL]

I try not to judge others for the language they grew up with but supper does make the speaker sound like they're some Dickensian WAIF languishing in the poorhouse.

 

[jivafox]

Lunch and Tea back home, but I’ve now acclimatised to using Lunch and Dinner.

 

[RJN]

What a debate! So hard to guess what’ll win!

 

[lolly]

I grew up with dinner and tea. I think that's true for most working class people around these parts.

Now it's either lunch and tea, or lunch and dinner. The tea or dinner decision comes down to what time I'm having it, and how big (or fancy) a meal it is.

Unless I'm with family, and then I revert to dinner and tea.

 

[lolly]

I try not to judge others for the language they grew up with but supper does make the speaker sound like they're some Dickensian WAIF languishing in the poorhouse.

To me it conjures up pretty much the opposite - Rees-Mogg.

 

[ZenGiraffe]

Supper is a meal AFTER DINNER

 

[Ellie]

Lunch is always lunch. The evening meal is dinner if it is a proper meal. It’s reverted to “Tea” when it’s a light early evening thing like beans on toast.

 

[ButterTart]

You don’t have lunch ladies at school, you have dinnerladies.

 

[RJN]

I call it lunch and dinner, but I call it tea if its an excuse to miss something (@ButterTart)

 

[lolly]

You don’t have lunch ladies at school, you have dinnerladies.

But you take a packed lunch, not a packed dinner.

 

[Tisch]

You don’t have lunch ladies at school, you have dinnerladies.

Not this Lunchlady Doris erasure

Lunch and dinner here. Tea was always sandwiches and cakes, normally on a Sunday after we'd had a roast dinner (for lunch and didn't need a full dinner for dinner) Easy!

 

[Tisch]

I'm using 'tea' more and more often though purely thanks to ButterTart though

 

[Tisch]

But anyway what do you call a BREAD ROLL and is it a @COB

 

[GNL]

But anyway what do you call a BREAD ROLL and is it a @COB

Dusty baps

 

[ButterTart]

But you take a packed lunch, not a packed dinner.

But you have school dinners, not school lunches.

 

[Ellie]

But you have school dinners, not school lunches.

But you have a lunch break, not a dinner break

 

[Jocasta Clun]

HISTORICALLY we had Lunch and Supper, but Sunday Lunch and Tea with Tea involving tea, sandwiches and cakes

I wouldn't mention supper nowadays as it would cause confusions so it gets called dinner

 

[win_the_game]

The only person I’ve heard refer to dinner as “supper” is Nigella Lawson.

 

[lolly]

Dusty baps

Have some respect, she's a moopy grandmother now.

 

[rhythmbandit]

Lunch and dinner most of the time, tea on a Sunday unless it's a roast.

 

[Kate]

Lunch is always lunch. The evening meal is dinner if it is a proper meal. It’s reverted to “Tea” when it’s a light early evening thing like beans on toast.

Supper is a meal AFTER DINNER

Yes x2

 

[Kratz]

Lunch and Dinner / Tea are both fine by me.

I have no experience with lunch being called 'Dinner' - people seem to think it is a northern thing, but not where I am from.

Supper is Frosties before bed

 

[RS]

If I remember this correctly, in school in Iraq we were taught that in English it was called lunch and supper. In Sweden it was lunch and dinner.

I use the word dinner because it sounds more modern and easier to pronounce. (Also supé in Swedish means late evening dinner, which I’m guessing is the same as supper, whereas dinner is earlier in the evening.)

 

[RS]

If I remember this correctly, in school in Iraq we were taught that it was called lunch and supper. In Sweden it was lunch and dinner.

I use the word dinner because it sounds more modern and easier to pronounce. (Also supé in Swedish means late evening dinner, which I’m guessing is the same as supper, whereas dinner is earlier in the evening.)

Oh and also in Iraq we always had ”tea” at around 5-6 pm but that was actual tea or coffee with cakes and biscuits and dessert, not actual food.

 

[big ron]

Moopy descending into boomer facebook is beautiful.

TBH, lunch and dinner and dinner and tea are all interchangeable. If someone asks me whats for dinner at 4pm, I can assume with 100% confidence they aren't talking about tomorrows 1pm menu.

Anyone who calls an evening meal supper is a tory and needs a fucking punch.

 

[ButterTart]

But you have a lunch break, not a dinner break

Oh it’s dinner break here

 

[RS]

That lunch can be called dinner is news to me

 

[RJN]

It’s funny because in America “supper” sounds super country/rural

 

[floppet]

I'm currently on my dinner break at the moment.

I've realised that when I answer the phone at work and they ask for the boss I'll tell them she's gone for dinner if they sound working class and will say lunch if it somebody from another company who may or may not be from darn sarf.

 

[lolly]

My (very working class) grandmother would sometimes refer to supper - but it wasn't a regular meal, she'd mean something like having a piece of toast or some soup, if her tea didn't fill her up.

 

[Suedehead]

OF COURSE it should be lunch and SUPPER if dining at home, and DINNER if out to DINNER. TEA is just not my thing although I HAVE used it in the past.

 

[Suedehead]

That lunch can be called dinner is news to me

Oh yeah when you're getting a hot meal it's often called DINENR

 

[big ron]

My (very working class) grandmother would sometimes refer to supper - but it wasn't a regular meal, she'd mean something like having a piece of toast or some soup, if her tea didn't fill her up.

Yeah supper was a sandwich or something before bed.

 

[dmlaw]

Supper is one of Hyacinth Bucket's candlelight suppers and nothing else at all.

 

[ZenGiraffe]

DINENR

Even I'm lost now

 

[floppet]

Supper is toast or cereal before bed.

 

[Jocasta Clun]

Anyone who calls an evening meal supper is a tory and needs a fucking punch.

Darling my mother was a COMMUNIST!

 

[Kratz]

Oh and also in Iraq we always had ”tea” at around 5-6 pm but that was actual tea or coffee with cakes and biscuits and dessert, not actual food.

Sounds like my kinda place

 

[Kratz]

I'm currently on my dinner break at the moment.

I've realised that when I answer the phone at work and they ask for the boss I'll tell them she's gone for dinner if they sound working class and will say lunch if it somebody from another company who may or may not be from darn sarf.

I think 'dinner' as lunch is more of a NW thing? I haven't ever heard it much in Yorkshire or the NE where I think 'lunch' is more common.