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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To hate hearing the word SUPPER

519 replies

newnameoldme · 10/05/2017 13:37

Even at my ripe old age I don't know exactly when or what it refers to.

It makes me cringe at the pretentiousness whenever I hear it used. Only slightly less if elderly posh person!

OP posts:
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7
GerdaLovesLili · 12/05/2017 08:04

Using supper when you mean a dinner party "candle-lit supper" is very Hyacinth Bucket. Then it is very pretentious, and makes you look a bit desperate.

JustDanceAddict · 12/05/2017 08:31

In London/SE its the evening meal. Nothing posh about it.

reuset · 12/05/2017 08:37

Ah is that the second breakfast for hobbits! Film hobbits have second breakfasts, book hobbits don't, they're far too polite Grin

reuset · 12/05/2017 08:40

Agree Teal, and it does seem to be a more recent thing.

HappydaysArehere · 12/05/2017 09:01

It's breakfast in the morning. Lunch in the middle of the day. Tea in the late afternoon. Dinner in the evening. Supper if you have a late light meal. It all depends on how many meals you choose to have.

SugarnetMum · 12/05/2017 09:29

In Ireland supper is eg bowl of cereal or toast before bed , always dinner never called tea

SkippyFox · 12/05/2017 09:36

In their desperation to be seen as posh, they don't realise the faux pas they are making. I swear it's become a more recent thing, almost as a pp said, a way of self-branding oneself as UMC.

That's actually really snidey and mean. Hmm I'm in my 50's and grew up saying supper (mostly) and my DH (non Welsh speaking) grew up in the Welsh Valleys and said supper. Both normal families.

There is literally nothing pretentious about it. It's just a regional thing. I actually find dinner sounds 'posher' to me me but as I'm not as judgemental as some on this thread I don't assume anything if someone uses it.

It must be tiring for you to feel so contemptuous of other people over such little things.

RustyBucket69 · 12/05/2017 10:41

I grew up rurally and on a farm. We had breakfast, dinner, tea & supper.
Breakfast was after milking the cows and was always bacon and eggs, Dinner was light like a sandwich at about 12-1pm, tea was cup of tea and cake or bread and butter before afternoon milking of the cows, then supper was the hot evening meal about 7 pm
This was Pembrokeshire so might be a Welsh thing? I hadn't heard the term 'tea' as an evening meal until I was in my late teens!

RustyBucket69 · 12/05/2017 10:43

And if 'dinner' isn't the meal in the middle of the day, why did we have 'dinner ladies' at school?

Scrumpernickel · 12/05/2017 10:45

I didn't have dinner ladies.

RustyBucket69 · 12/05/2017 10:54

What were yours called in school then? Just interested

Scrumpernickel · 12/05/2017 10:56

We didn't have school meals, we brought our own lunch.

StarHeartDiamond · 12/05/2017 11:15

It's geographical, who uses which term, as we can see. it's only pretentious if someone does adopt it to appear more UMC. Someone whose family has always used "supper" isn't being aspirational or pretentious.

I/my family have never said supper. If I suddenly started to, they'd know I was being pretentious. Otoh, if I'd married someone who did, and whose family did, and it was common parlance in our house then it wouldn't be pretentious for me to adopt it.

NancyWake · 12/05/2017 11:42

that they even use it to describe their three-course dinners, often in dining rooms, with linen napkins and silverware, as suppers.... in their desperation to be seen as posh, they don't realise the faux pas they are making.

No kind of faux pas. Silver cutlery doesn't make a meal a dinner nor does a starter. Really depends how formal the occasion is. If you're serving antipasti, spag bol and cheesecake, that's still supper.

DeeDooDee · 12/05/2017 13:11

that they even use it to describe their three-course dinners, often in dining rooms, with linen napkins and silverware, as suppers.... in their desperation to be seen as posh, they don't realise the faux pas they are making.

To be fair if they have three course meals, dining rooms, linen napkins and silverware then I think they probably actually are posh 😂.

DagenhamRoundhouse · 12/05/2017 17:24

'Ave you 'ad your tea?'

'What did you have?'

'Oops'

Batsh1tcrazy · 12/05/2017 17:38

Lol in my house we have breakfast lunch dinner and supper. Supper is usually a bit toast before bed far from pretentious 😂

Feckitall · 12/05/2017 17:39

As kids we had breakfast, dinner (12 ish), tea (5ish)and supper(before bed) ...supper being a piece of apple and a cup of milk.

user1469987506 · 12/05/2017 17:42

Breakfast, dinner, supper....whats the big deal?

Jessikita · 12/05/2017 17:45

For greedy pigs like me supper is certainly not in place of tea. Here I have breakfast, elevenses, dinner, afternoon snack, tea and supper. Supper is at 9pmish 😂😂😂

pinkpip100 · 12/05/2017 17:48

I grew up (London) eating breakfast, lunch & dinner. After having kids (and possibly swayed slightly by DH's rural Herefordshire upbringing) we have breakfast, lunch & tea (if eating with the kids) or dinner (if just me & dh, or other grown-ups). Neither of us ever use 'supper', but round here (Warwickshire) it is definitely a posh way to describe dinner. Not pretentious really, as most people who use it have grown up saying it - but I can see how it might sound that way.

Strongmummy · 12/05/2017 18:04

Makes me cringe too.

JDEE72 · 12/05/2017 18:05

I've always hated the word. It makes me cringe. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Missolford33 · 12/05/2017 18:08

Supper Dosent mean the same for the Scottish or me and mine who are Scottish... better not offend anyone haha. Evening meal for us was always tea and supper was a snack Later usually before bed and usually at the weekend when we were up late enough to maybe need a little something else.

Missolford33 · 12/05/2017 18:08

I hear supper and I think bed time.