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?!

Of course it’s dinner.
And dinner ladies serve lunch.

I haven't referred to elevenses in so long, but I'm definitely bringing it back.

Everyone I know says breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I call then lunch ladies.

Tea is a drink.

Lunch is a midday meal. Tea is a cup of tea and slice of cake at 4.30. Dinner is the evening meal. That’s how I operate.I quite like the word supper for a light evening meal though.
I don’t know anyone who calls the evening meal tea, but it wouldn’t bother me.

It's supper for me. Always has been, always will be.

Wanders off insufferably...

@katy1213

It's you're tea - and your dinner.

Why on earth do you think that?

@dragonsmoke

I don't believe for one minute that anyone books a restaurant in the evening and calls it 'going out for tea'. That sounds ridiculous.

They do round these parts!

Lunch is a meal mid day, dinner can be too if its something cooked.
High tea is a light meal around 4pm.
Tea is a hot drink..
Tea is also a meal early evening -
Dinner is too, although dinner is also posh for tea out but then my ds insists on calling tea dinner.
Supper is any food after 7pm.
Snap/jackbit is a grown ups packed lunch.
Elevenses is a snack ( coffee and cake/biscuits at 11am)

Clear as mud. Doesn't really matter as long as you're fed.

I don't believe for one minute that anyone books a restaurant in the evening and calls it 'going out for tea'. That sounds ridiculous.

Well we do.....as does pretty much everyone we know 🤷🏼‍♀️

I think it's ridiculous that people are surprised that there are regional difference in language.

Lunch and dinner is correct. Tea is a drink or sandwiches/cake in the afternoon. You're=you are. Your=possession. It is a packED lunch not a 'pack lunch' or 'pack up'.

This thread is a lot of old shite.

My dp is a northerner and says "dinner" to mean lunch.

To me dinner is the evening meal. However I couldn't really give a toss what people say

It depends where you are from

South east here and its breakfast, lunch and dinner

You’re unreasonable to say “you’re evening meal”

@wanderings

If it helps you decide: in prison, the evening meal is often called "tea".

When did you get out?

‘Going out for tea’ what else would l say?

I never ever say going out for dinner ever ever at teatime. Ever. It’s always going out for tea.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner here. (Scotland) We used to go for “high tea” on a Sunday with my grandparents at a hotel every week when we were little. The only time I would say “tea” would be if I met DP after football on a Saturday and we would go to eg Nando’s or Pizza Express, about 5, so far too early for dinner.

I have never come across a restaurant having a dinner menu in the afternoon, or a tea menu in the evening.

You drink tea and have dinner.
Tea is a drink. Unless you want to have A tea drink with dinner then yes it’s tea for dinner.

It’s a regional language where you live, there’s nothing wrong in using it if that’s what’s accepted in the region.

Obviously varies regionally, I'm in the North West and we all say tea here!

"TBF, it's usually the other way around, posters who 'can't understand' how some people call it breakfast, lunch and dinner. In both cases, they do understand perfectly well, they just don't approve of the what the other calls them. Neither is wrong, but they're both being twatty about it."

The other way around? The OP of THIS thread "can't understand how some people call it breakfast, lunch and dinner." She says that in the title of the thread! AIBU "To think that you’re (sic) evening meal is called ‘tea’ not ‘dinner’?!"

Breakfast, lunch & dinner in my world.

I can't stand it being referred to as tea. Tea is something you drink.

I grew up in the north of England and it was always tea. Now i live in the south west and it's dinner, or supper in some circles. To me, supper is a cup of tea and a biscuit before bed!

I like the concept of elevensies - my DM (lived in London, educated in Yorkshire, says lunch and supper) swears by it ...

Evening meal for me is dinner, the only time I call a lunch time meal dinner is on Christmas Day.

Ffs. Every year we do this.
There are meals which are related to time of day: for example Breakfast which is always the first meal of the day. You can be cute and eat it later and call it brunch but if it's the meal where you break your overnight fast it is breakfast.
Thus: breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, tea, supper.
These vary by area so sometimes tea is literally tea and cake and bread and butter, or sometimes it is a smaller hot meal.
The only meal which isn't 'time of day' dependent is Dinner.
Dinner is the main meal of the day.
Thus, if you get a light tea or supper after school and luncheon is your main meal it becomes 'school dinner'. If your main meal is in the evening and lunch is a lighter meal then you have 'school lunch' and then dinner in the evening.
At Christmas the Main meal is Christmas dinner, but it can be at as by time of day as it just doesn't matter. Thus if it involved a feat, Christmas dinner and Christmas lunch are synonymous.
In my house I shout 'dinner' up the stairs to horrid teens or text 'come and get your tea' if they fail to appear. It is the same thing!

Rolling back to the top of this ridiculously long (TLDR) post I will suggest that if you serve dinner instead of tea you won't need supper (well maybe a glass of Port and walnuts or cheese) but not another meal).