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So, straw poll - have you/ your DC heard of elevenses and is this now an outdated term?

Except some people on this thread alone apparently have taken from the context that it’s brunch and would be expecting a meal. They would no doubt be somewhat startled to find it’s a cup of tea or coffee and one biscuit.

I would expect anyone of working age to have seen Lord of the Rings and thus understand the term.

I learned it at school (70s child) My children called it breaktime. Later on I worked at a care home and they had elevenses there. Breakfast in rooms, wash/dress, then downstairs for elevenses. Tea or coffee with a biscuits then lunch at one. Am from S. England. I grew up reading Enid Blyton and Pullein-Thompson pony books which were dated even then, so I suspect I was quite an old fashioned child.

It just means coffee/tea break. Used to be at 11 o'clock in factories and offices. It's like Morning Break at school. Everyone had it at once. Start at 9, Break about 11, Lunch about 1, afternoon cuppa about 3, Leave at 5.

I think I first learned about elevenses from Winnie the Pooh, later reinforced by the Hobbits of middle-earth!

My 8yo knows what it is and we don't use the phrase. He read it in the Hobbit.

I'm 42 and have elevenses most work days. DD (11) says it but I assume that's because we use it.

As I explained earlier, I learned the term from my Victorian grandmother, who was born in Scotland. It may have been unclear that I am of an age to be no longer working. I have never read or seen "Lord of the Rings", so didn't learn from that!

My DC know what elevenses are. Paddington and Mr Gruber also enjoy elevenses.

I’m 50 and I know what it is, might occasionally refer to it in a pretend old-fashioned way, same as I might joke to a friend about “shall we have luncheon”? I learned it from older relatives and books but don’t think anyone actually gave a mid-morning drink/snack that label in my family.

However the concept is something that I have noticed is still common amongst Australian and New Zealand colleagues; they call it Morning Tea and it’s often used in offices over there as a break for team interaction.

I think that some older-fashioned British traditions lived on for longer in the Antipodes.

My son is 7, he doesn’t know the expression. I can’t get him into Paddington, sadly.

I'm 30 and know what it is! Probably from reading so many books and having an Oma who was obsessed with elevenses 😂

Like others had no idea this wasn't in common usage anymore. Cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit, at around 11. I'm 54, kids early 20's. They'd know what it was too because we'd have my mum and dad round 'for elevenses' if no one was up for a bigger do that day.

Third meal of the day, after breakfast and second breakfast, and before luncheon. Mustn’t forget afternoon tea, dinner and supper for a true balanced diet.

My 11 year old said ‘a snack and drink around 11’. He knows it from Paddington.

I do but I'm 50. I'll ask dsd later.

I think the concept has disappeared due to grazing, plus eating at your desk

I've only read it in books. I didn't know people used it unironically!

I am 35.

Archaic?! I use it at work all the time…I suspect it may be regional?

I'm 51 and have always used the expression, so my DC (19-23) do too.

Elevenses for me is just a coffee, but when the DC were little, they used to have "cappuccinos" (i.e. frothy milk with chocolate powder sprinkled on it) and a Rich Tea biscuit. It was part of our daily ritual if we weren't out and about (and even then, we had "elevenses" in a cafe or whatever).

Ah, my Scottish grandma always had elevenses.

DC1 age 13 would know as it came up in Lord of the Rings. DC2 age 12 probably doesn’t, but would use it as an enthusiastic reason for mid morning biscuits if he did.

I know it. I asked DD (22) and she said yeah it’s the snack at 11 that the Hobbits have 🤭

Brought up in the 60s/70s so I know it

Elevenses a term that was popular when a Coffee Break was a Tea Break. All 3 mean the same. A transitional time - still way back - Tea Break was afternoon and Coffee Break morning.

I like the quaintness of elevenses and it’s nice to give it a little name and restore an older expression

I'm 40ish and understand it. Just another way of saying brunch isn't it- not breakfast, not lunch, had about 11am. I reckon most people will be able to work it out in context.

I’m 34 and wouldn’t really use the word but to me it would mean a late morning snack? My dad would sometimes have used it jokingly when l was growing up

It's not at all brunch-like!

It's a hot drink and a biscuit (at most) (or two, for some people).