To hate the term 'Tea'

[ditzyglamour]

I guess I know I am as it seems the majority use it. But to me, its dinner and growing up I can never recall hearing anyone refer to it as 'Tea'.

I just find it so flowery and annoying.

Got that off my chest now 😃.

Anyone else?

I'm a Southerner by heart.

Breakfast = first meal of the day
Lunch = Light meal in the middle of the day
Dinner = Biggest meal of the day, whenever eaten, normally cooked
Tea = Cakes and sandwiches, normally eaten between 2-5pm
Supper = Light snack eaten late evening.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner. You drink Tea. 😁

Nah - tea is your evening meal where I'm from, the north west. Nowt to do with what you actually have to eat. Squedgie's tea is missing the word 'afternoon' before it.

Breakfast, lunch, tea/dinner. Use tea and dinner interchangeably as they mean the same thing.

Live in the south east if we're dividing regionally on this issue.

There was a tv comedy years ago set in Liverpool. I can't remember what it was called, but it was all about "our Avaline" and there was a doddery old grandad who used to start panicking every day about 3pm going, "Where's my tea? Where's my tea?" For this reason alone, I can't stand the word "tea", unless it refers to the drink. It makes me think of cold baked beans and other disgusting canned food, served with chips.

May I refer you to the Unseen University for the definitive meal time classifications

Midnight Snack
Somnambulistic Nibbles
Early Breakfast
Second Breakfast
Third Breakfast
Elevenses
Early Lunch
Second Lunch
Mid-Afternoon Snack
Afternoon Tea - well, Sherry, really
Early Tea
Late Tea
Dinner
Second Dinner

wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Unseen_University_Mealtimes

It is always tea. Except on a Sunday when its dinner.

There was a tv comedy years ago set in Liverpool. I can't remember what it was called, but it was all about "our Avaline" and there was a doddery old grandad who used to start panicking every day about 3pm going, "Where's my tea? Where's my tea?

Bread!
Not seen that for years, going to have the theme tune going round my head all day now.
"Gotta get up, gotta to get out, grab the world by the throat and shout...."

NW and it's tea.

Now 'supper' urgh. Horrid word. So twee and try hard.

To the lunchtime dinner-ers...

If you have a sandwich for your midday meal is it still dinner?

On a school trip would you have a 'packed lunch for your dinner'?

Or in the office, would you refer to a meeting that takes place across the middle of the day when sandwiches are provided a 'working dinner' rather than a 'working lunch'?

I feel like a traitor as a northerner even asking this!

I'm northern and call it dinner, never 'tea'. I'm in the minority up here though

Completely depends on where you live. Where I am, it's 'dinner time' at 12 in school, for example, and tea in the evening. Only 'posh' people call it dinner at tea time!

^^ this

SuperBeagle: "Tea" is a common weird here (Australia). Nope, I grew up in Sydney, and it was always breakfast, lunch and tea. Dinner was a baked dinner for Sunday lunch. Admittedly, it was a largely working class area, but even all my friends of Italian, Yugoslav (as it was then), Greek, etc descent used the same terms. Later, as an adult I think that most of my (fairly well educated, middle class) friends used the same term. Although, that being said, I probably have just unwittingly picked up changes over the years- eg, I have tea at home, but dinner in a restaurant.

So, maybe it's changed over time?

So, maybe it's changed over time?

I'm from Sydney too. I've only ever known a couple of families who referred to it as "tea". It may be a change that's come with time, or maybe I'm just knocking about in different circles.

But I also think the Sunday roast is a thing of the past for most here... unless you go to a pub or the RSL to get it.

Where I grew up in Scotland, we have dinner in the middle of the day (e.g. school dinners) and tea in the evening. DSis in the North East Scotland has lunch and supper. Only dinner is Sunday dinner which is in the afternoon - neither midday or evening.

Hesterton - according to wiki, lunch started as a midday drink but could be used to mean a snack at any time.

IClavdivs I love your user name. Such a funny programme.

I have learnt the hard way that if a plumber says they'll come round at dinner time to fix something they mean around 12:30, not 6:30

SuperBeagle I wish you hadn't written that! You've got me thinking about what the current, common usage is, and mistrusting my own thoughts. I will now have to spend the next few days quizzing and annoying people I meet until my curiosity is satisfied.

If you have a sandwich for your midday meal is it still dinner?

Yes.

On a school trip would you have a 'packed lunch for your dinner'?

No, you'd have a pack up.

Or in the office, would you refer to a meeting that takes place across the middle of the day when sandwiches are provided a 'working dinner' rather than a 'working lunch'?

Dinner. 'Cos it's the food in the middle of the day.

Such a funny programme

Amazing how it still stands the test of time. So many wonderful performances.

The book is great, same sort of sly, wink, wink, nudge, nudge humour.

I'm a Manc, so for me it goes Breakfast, Dinner, Tea.

If someone says dinner to me then I presume they're referring to the meal they eat around midday

Amazing how it still stands the test of time. So many wonderful performances. Have we got our wires crossed? I was thinking of Harry and Paul's The Twos. However I am old enough to have seen I Claudius on the TV many years ago.

It's not a regional thing it's a class thing.

See umpteen previous MN threads.