Do you understand the term "elevenses"?

[redskyanight]

My company has decided to introduce a monthly "elevenses" where they will provide drinks and biscuits and staff are encouraged to come and talk to colleagues they don't normally speak to.

I was chatting about this at home and 20 year old DS said he'd absolutely no idea what "elevenses" were and had never heard the term before. DH reckons it is an old fashioned concept these days and will be incomprehensible to anyone under 35.

So, straw poll - have you/ your DC heard of elevenses and is this now an outdated term?

I’m 54. I’m familiar with the term but not heard it in forever.

eta my kids are late teens and don’t know it.

I'm 31 and I have seen the word written before but never heard it used, nor bothered to look up its meaning tbh, I assume it's like a picky brunch?

I know what they are - used to have them at home as a child. Am now mid-50s. I think the concept has been lost in the modern trend of constant snacking/grazing. To be honest I'm not sure if my 20-somethings would know the phrase.

Pretty sure my adult dc know what it means but not sure if it's because they have heard me mention it or it's a term that's used at their work anyway .

My elevenses were just a drink and a biscuit.

Yeah we always have cake and drinks for elevenses at the weekend. 😁Pretty common parlance round here and would be used by eg builders asking for a mug of tea and biscuit sometime between 10.30 and 11.00 (midlands, not posh at all)

My DC do as FIL always has elevenses and DH also loves the tradition.

I suspect it has not been in regular use since Enid Blyton. My 18yo didn't know it but pointed out school don't say it and neither do I, so she's never had exposure to it.

No not brunch, a mid-morning snack. You have breakfast, do a couple hours work, stop for elevenses which is prob not much more than tea and a biscuit unless you're doing heavy physical work, then work again, then lunch.
It's really your morning tea break, but used to be called elevenses. 11 being halfway between 9 and 1, so the most appropriate time for a morning break.

I used to have elevenses with an aunty as a child. We'd stop for a cake and drink in a cafe before the lunch rush.

I think it is a bit of an old fashioned term and I've never heard anyone else use it until now. I hear brunch quite often but feel like that implies a proper meal is going to be had.

FWIW I am under 35 (just)

For those unfamiliar with the word "elevenses" is a mid morning break for tea or coffee with light refreshments. Normally taken around 11am - hence the word "elevenses".

I know what it is, but I don’t know if my DH or kids would know (they’re not English). I’ll be asking them when I see them!

I'm 32 and I know of it but haven't really heard it used. Just asked my teenage daughter if she knows what it is and she said "you mean like what Hobbits have?"

After second breakfast but before lunch.

You have your breakfast,late morning drink (coffee and cake) that's our elevenses . We don't do lunch, just have our main meal early before 5. Perhaps it's a Sussex thing. I know what brunch is, but picky,nope happy with a biscuit. It's not a meal.

My 9 year old does, from Winnie the Pooh apparently.

Yes I do (but I'm old enough to recall when companies had tea ladies pushing trollies around).

It’s an old fashioned word but anyone who’s widely read would be familiar with it. If your DC have never heard it then perhaps you should have encouraged them to read more!

I am familiar with it. I'm in my 60's and it a term we used for a mid morning snack when I was growing up.

Growing up in the 70s we had elevenses at home. It meant at 11am us kids had a cup of squash and some biscuits and my mum had a coffee. It's not a term I've heard since childhood and my mum might still have a mid morning hot drink but she doesn't use the term anymore either. I liked it as a child as it sounded exciting - well biscuits were one of my daily highlights.

I am late 40's and it hadn't occurred to me that it had fallen out of favour. A straw poll of the other occupants of the room (8 and 12 year old boys) show they have no idea.

How utterly unnecessarily bitchy. Hope you're proud of yourself.

Me and DP knew, 15y DD had never heard of it.

I think its an old fashioned concept. These days seem to he a constant round of drinking tea/coffee.

My old boss would have a hot drink at 11 and 3. I think that was usual in years gone by. A grandad I know, now passed away, wouldn't offer a tea/coffee unless your visit happened yo be at 3pm.

As a kid we had elevenses if we weren't at school. I thought everybody knew the word, but evidently not.