To think that you’re evening meal is called ‘tea’ not ‘dinner’?!

[Biscoffaddict]

I see so many posters on here referring to their evening mea, as ‘dinner’, but in real life I’ve never met anyone who does this and it’s always ‘tea’. It always has been tea. My parents call it tea, my grandparents called it tea, my friends call it tea, my work colleagues call it tea etc. ‘Dinner’ is the meal you have in the middle of the day and that’s why school dinner ladies, are called dinner ladies!

I don’t know but I find it quite irrationally annoying! Surely I’m not alone?!

@mootymoo I would agree a larger, cooked meal is a dinner whether eaten at midday or in the evening.

Why is a Sunday lunch called a roast dinner?

It's Sunday dinner in our house and served as close to 12-1pm as possible.

Supper - oh god what a word.

Supper clubs - bloody love them - used to be a great one licadilly circus. Pigalle club. Rip around 10? years ago Live music. Food at tables. Eat around 10pm onwards. V low lighting always.

Used incorrectly (IMO) for a normal ‘dinner’ (or ‘tea’ if that’s what you say) eg evening meal around 8.

Used for late light meal after say 10pm. If others invited is usually after being out somewhere else. Usually just household after out elsewhere, not guests unless they’re staying.

I don’t use the word at all. Don’t like it at all. Always sounds affected to my ear. Would say ‘late snack’ or ‘something to eat?’ Instead.

I cannot bear the word 'supper'. If I hear anyone say it, a little bit of me dies inside.
Why??

Tea is what you have at 4 pm, with the odd biscuit if lucky.

The evening meal is interchangeably called all three in our house:

Tea, Dinner & Supper
🍽🍝🍜

Tea is also a drink, brew, cuppa ☕

Lunch is lunch - never dinner 🥪

Or a drink with jam and bread, I suppose.

How do we feel about.....

Elevenses?

COMMON

You’re northern.

It’s breakfast, lunch, dinner here.

I have my dinner in the middle of the day. I get it’s probably regional. I live in Wales. But when you watch Coronation Street for example, set in Manchester, they also say tea.

And on EastEnders they call it dinner. Hence, it's regional!

Them saying "dinner" on Coronation Street confused the fuck out of me when I was young, I had no idea they meant lunch, I thought they meant the evening meal, which often threw the timeline out completely!

@SionnachRua

There's something about the word supper that gives me the heebie jeebies. Not sure why but I get a proper shiver down my spine looking at it, it just doesn't seem... right? Not in a "my word is better than your word" kind of way but something very off-putting to it.

I need to hide this thread, I think.

Ah the word-shivers. You’re not allowed to admit to that on MN. There is always a hidden motivation you’re not admitting. (See - apologies - “picky bits” which makes lots of people queasy.) Posters will just scream at you that you’re a snob or an inverse snob or something. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Interchangeable where I live. Best of both worlds

No one calls it "tea" in my area.

That's a Northern thing.

It’s a regional and a class thing.

Really? I have family in the north, London and South West. We all call it tea. Even ds's posh southern gf calls it tea. It's only dinner if we go out for an evening meal or if it's Sunday or Xmas day (regardless of time).

I'd also say I was pretty middle class (though from good working class stock).

The only person I know who says supper is seriously upper class.

@Daphnise

No one calls it "tea" in my area.

That's a Northern thing.

Have you not noticed how many posters in the thread have told you their gran/mum/friend from London/Essex/southern England says it?

Stop being so arrogant. It’s class not region.

Dinner is your main meal, whether that's at midday or in the evening. Its not that complicated, really.

It's a class thing OP

We have supper later into the evening though.

@Notimeforaname

Nope. Breakfast in morning..lunch in afternoon..dinner in evening. 'Tea' is just a cup of tea here.

This. 💯

You were probably taught it was 'tea' from the same people who taught you about homophones

Dinner is your main meal, whether that's at midday or in the evening. Its not that complicated, really.

My main meal is tea - usually about 7pm.🤷‍♀️

I have lunch at lunchtime and breakfast when I get up.

I grew up with tea, but then travelled to other countries that referred to it as dinner. I tend to say dinner now.

Breakfast, lunch & dinner here. I’m from Ireland and growing up we had breakfast, dinner and supper (although everyone I knew called it tea). Lunch is what you have at school/work/in the middle of the day. Dinner in the evening when everyone can get together to eat.

South East. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Packed lunch. Sunday lunch. Brunch. (and I'm far from posh, just means I can get away with making one less meal a day). Lunch boxes. Pubs and restaurants have lunch menus. Schools and colleges have lunch break.

Tea is a bit drink in a cup.

Amazing the difference in different regions.