To not understand

[TeamSpirit]

Why do english people call dinner for tea? What do you call tea then?
Not trying to be funny - just want the story behind..

Regional thing. In the north tea is what you eat in the evening around 5/6pm and dinner is eaten around 12/1pm down south dinner is eaten at 5/6 on and lunch at 12/1pm.

It's supper where I'm from. Tea is in the afternoon, lunch at lunch. Regional / just the way I was brought up.

Yep, raised in London.

Tea is a drink.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I do like the sound of the word 'tea' for an evening meal, though – I don't think it would ever feel right coming out of my mouth but there's something lovely and warm and family-feeling about it.

Oh dear this is sooo confusing for foreigners. Tea has three meanings 1. a warm drink 2. Afternoon tea with scones and sandwiches 3. Depending on which part of the country you live in, your evening meal.

So when people here write about making tea - the meaning of it, depends on where you live?

Yes, in the South its Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and tea is something you drink.

I’m from west miss. Lunch always lunch, but evening meal is interchangeable between dinner and tea.

Hold fire with the idea that it's a regional variation. My parents, who were both from in or near London referred to the evening meal as tea. Dinner was the main meal that was eaten around midday, however on special occasions, dinner could be eaten in the evening!

I've always known as breakfast lunch and dinner, maybe snack in between somewhere, anywhere tbh.
However, at work (nursery for children) the meals are breakfast 7.15 - 8.30am, snack (not compulsory) 10am lunch 12.30pm, afternoon snack (not compulsory) 2.30pm and tea 4.30pm. Nursery close at 6 then go home to have dinner

See I think I just make it worse. Dinner is a hot meal eaten at a table with a knife and fork, lunch is whatever your eating mid day (could be 3 courses could be a sandwich on the hop).
Tea is in the evening.

I'm different again - cold meal in the middle of the day is lunch, at the end of the day is tea. Hot meal is always dinner no matter when you have it.

I am inconsistent.... generally lunch & tea (from the Midlands), Dinner is interchangeable for Tea but also for a main/cooked meal, lunchtime or evening.

Ooh peachgreen snap!

Yabu I'm English and I call dinner dinner.

Really get on my tits when people call dinner tea.

Tea is a drink.

From Wales- married an Englishman. We say Breakfast, dinner, tea... he's changed me and now I say breakfast lunch and dinner. Sounds weird now the way I used to say it!

I'm from Manchester and we use tea more often than dinner eg "what do you want for tea?" "do you want to go out for tea?" If someone used dinner that would be ok too.

Breakfast is breakfast, lunch is lunch.

I was brought up with ‘it’s not when you eat’ -

So, for me morning meal is breakfast, lunch is lunch and evening meal is dinner/tea and anything eaten after as an extra meal is supper.

We use tea (Suffolk) to mean dinner.

But generally ‘I’m making tea...’ means I’m putting the kettle on, ‘what’s for tea?’ means what’s for dinner but I’ll say, ‘I’m cooking dinner’ or ‘dinner’s ready’ rather than tea.

I assume that as afternoon tea went out of fashion, the word for eating ‘tea’ (ie around 5) prevailed and became commonly used as another way to describe dinner.

Sorry that should be ‘it’s not what you eat, it’s when you eat’ !

Breakfast, lunch ( sandwiches etc) or dinner ( hot meal), and tea here ( north west) the evening meal is sometimes called dinner in this house but never on days when a hot dinner has been eaten....dinner and dinner would be taking it too far

I’m not sure it’s regional because DH and I both grew up in the same county and we’re always having to clarify what we mean when we say ‘what’s for dinner’ - to him dinner is lunchtime, to me it’s the main hot meal which could be lunchtime or evening!

Tea as in a meal in my mind is a lighter and earlier meal probably around 5ish, dinner is a bit later and more substantial meal, supper is after 9 pm and much lighter.

For some reason regardless of region, children in nursery always get “tea” a small meal at 4pm. I had never heard anyone around me use the word tea for meal until then

Breakfast, lunch and tea for me
Although I'd go out for 'dinner'
I think I might be in the minority though.
From Brighton originally (Brighton fishing family), if that's any kind of explanation

From East Anglia

We always had lunch as midday meal and tea or dinner as the evening meal EXCEPT on Sundays or Christmas when lunch was dinner, but only if we had a Sunday dinner, if we are a normal lunch it would be Sunday lunch.

Still followed by tea.

If you're posh, the evening meal can be supper.

For me supper is a bowl of cornflakes or two Rich Teas sandwiched with butter, just before bed.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Sometimes call dinner tea then correct myself as it makes me feel like a child for some reason.