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So, straw poll - have you/ your DC heard of elevenses and is this now an outdated term?

We used to have elevenses and foursies on pack holiday/ guide camp.

Calm down, for God's sake!

Anyone who's seen Lord of the rings should know what elevensies is!

I'm not sure, but think it is what my mum and dad used to call 'coffee time' which was about 11am, when they were both at home, they'd have a milky coffee and a biscuit.

I’m 55 and familiar with elenveses, I explained it to my DDs when we were living overseas. Their friends had “onces” after school. They asked why because it was 4pm not 11am or 11pm.

I know, but I'm old and grew up on Enid Blyton books.

I must ask my adult DC if they know.

Late 30s and didn't know what it was. I wouldn't really want it either as I tend to eat lunch about 12. If I'm in the office, I'd be having breakfast about 7 and a morning snack and coffee not long after arriving, like 9.30 (though at my desk while working - not taking a break that early!), then lunch at 12/12.15.

Yep and use it. It's not common though. Some of my friends also know it. We're under 35.

I’m 32 and know what elevenses are! The earliest socially acceptable time to eat cake 😁

2 x young adults (just) would, it's my favourite time of day so elevenses was a word they just grew up knowing.

Yes, I know what it is. I'm 40.

Farmers / trades people around here call the mid morning snack 'crib', for what it's worth.

I haven't heard of or thought about elevenses for ages, except for about a week ago! There was some rubbish on the radio about how people now don't eat the traditional 3 meals a day, that they eat about 6 times a day instead (which included snacks) And how that's all new and weird.

I was saying how it was like the researchers had never heard of elevenses, afternoon tea, or supper!

My 6 year old asked me yesterday if it was time for elevenses yet

It’s not exactly a super secret code word. You’d have to be pretty thick not to figure out that it means a snack at around 11.

I'll make sure to tell DD who is an English Lit student, often surgically attached to a book and who has read a very wide range of texts that she should read more :)

She still claims to have never heard of elevenses (even though I know, for example, she did read Enid Blyton and Winnie the Pooh as a child). So I suspect seeing a term in a book does not necessarily translate to recognising it in a different context.

Yes I know what it means. But my son wouldn't since he's 4!

It comes after second breakfast and before luncheon.

We had that at American express in Brighton with sausage or bacon sandwiches too or gooey cookies just out the oven.

to be fair while perhaps the bit about encouraging the kids to read was unnecessary I agree with the general point - I'm 35 (because that's the age the OP's DH referred to as the apparent cut off of knowledge!) and it's a word I know, but would say its from (older) books rather than from it being used in real life.

Obviously there's not an exact correlation between being well read and knowing the word, it would depend on the type of books you read for one thing - if you were into literary modern fiction or sci fi maybe not. The only books I can specifically think of using it where I would have picked it up would be things like famous five or the enid blyton school stories (which are hardly great literature!) and LOTR (can't remember if hobbits have elevenses before or after second breakfast!)

edited because @OneRingToRuleThemAll has helpfully clarified!

I've just asked my 20 year old. He's heard of it but didn't exactly know what it was. I was sure he'd know lol.

I’m 31 and I am familiar with the term but don’t use it myself

I have 2 adult children under 30 and they both know what ‘Elevenses’ are , I thought it was a well known thing .

I’m 67 and elevensies was just a drink and one biscuit when I was a child
When mine were little in the 80’s and 99’s it was a drink and a biscuit at 10.30 in front of Playschool on the tv.
It now seems to be called snack time for my grandchildren - but more ( much more) frequently!
When I’ve taken them to storytime at the library I’ve been surprised to see mums dishing out snacks during a 30 min session.
Secretly Surprised, not criticising I’m keen to add! I say nothing, I know how to be a good mother in law etc - thanks to mumsnet!

Pippin : What about breakfast?
Aragorn : You've already had it.
Pippin : We've had one, yes. What about second breakfast?
[Aragorn turns and walks away]
Merry : I don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.
Pippin : What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?
Merry : I wouldn't count on it.

In most workplaces, people can either get tea/coffee whenever they like (and hence meet random people in the kitchen) or else take scheduled breaks at staggered times, so that a minimum level of service is maintained. My workplace is the former. We do have fortnightly departmental meetings, with refreshments, to get everyone together, but the only time we would have refreshments with no meeting attached would be Christmas.

So, yes, the description of your elevenses does sound a bit odd in this context. The word is familiar to me, but I'm 51.

I just asked my 11 year old, and he did.