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Pedants' corner
Original poster

Tea? Supper? Dinner?

50 replies

FeelingEvil · 27/05/2008 09:17

What's the difference?

OP posts:
DirtySexyMummy · 27/05/2008 09:30

For me, tea is the main, evening meal.

Dinner is at lunchtime (though personally I call it lunch) and supper.. well, that would mean a late snack, say, after 10pm but I wouldn't call it supper.

Scottish though

MrsBadger · 27/05/2008 09:31

[sweeping generalisations ahoy]

if you are northern
dinner is at midday
tea is the evening meal
supper is a snack before bed

if you are southern
tea is a drink or an afternoon snack
dinner is the evening meal
supper is a snack before bed

if you are posh
dinner is a formal evening meal with three or more courses
supper is an informal evening meal (including eg Pizza Express)
tea is a drink

UnquietDad · 27/05/2008 10:19

And if you have a household with one northern lower-middle-class parent and one southern middle-middle-class parent, it's an eternal battle...

Tommy · 27/05/2008 10:21

I think that's about right MrsBadger.

although when I cook for the DSs at 5pm I call it tea and DH and I have dinner in the evening - don't know why

sophiewd · 27/05/2008 10:22

DD has tea at 5ish.

We eat supper later

And occasionally go out for dinner

MrsBadger · 27/05/2008 10:23

now if I cook for dd at 5 I call it her supper as she has 'tea' at 3pm at nursery... but dh and I then have 'dinner' at 7 or 8

UnquietDad · 27/05/2008 10:24

A "tea" has to be a light snack meal. No way can a shepherd's pie or a lasagne be a "tea".

shinyshoes · 27/05/2008 10:26

I have lunch at lunchtime,around 1.00pm whether it is a sandwich or a full on meal at Harvester.

We have Tea at around 6.00pm.

Dinner is an expression used at teatime 'sit down and eat yor dinner' to the kids.

We dont have supper I've never used that word, it sounds very twee like The Darling Buds of May' .

If we have cheese and crackers or soup after tea because we are peckish its generally a snack. We don't sanck in the evening generally as my portions are filling enough

AMumInScotland · 27/05/2008 10:32

Ah but shepherd's pie or lasagne could be "High Tea" - served with bread & butter, and followed by cakes...

MrsBadger · 27/05/2008 10:53

shepherd's pie served with bread and butter followed by cakes?
[faints]

high tea is poached eggs on toast, or sausages, or macaroni cheese or similar
a light meal as UQD says

Cappuccino · 27/05/2008 10:55

it really annoys me this idea of 'supper' being a meal

my dad uses it it is ridiculous

last time we were visiting his partner said: "What would you girls like for supper" at 5.30pm

dd1 laughed like a drain and said "We're not going to bed yet!"

hana · 27/05/2008 10:58

depends on where you're from

tea is a drink
supper is , well, evening meal
dinner is just like supper

tea as a meal is quintesentially English

GrimmaTheNome · 27/05/2008 10:59

If you're reading Swallows and Amazons,
dinner is big meal in the middle of the day, tea is basically tea mid-afternoon and supper is an evening meal/snack.

This subject doesn't belong in pedant's corner really as theres no right or wrong answer - its a complex mix of geography/history/sociology!

jingleyjen · 27/05/2008 10:59

Mrs badger summed it up well.

learningallthetime · 27/05/2008 11:01

I drink tea
Eat dinner (main meal) around 5/6
Supper before bed.

juliax3 · 27/05/2008 11:03

i am glad not all native speakers seem to agree on this.

PuppyMonkey · 27/05/2008 11:06

Mrs B has this sussed I reckon.

Although there is a large part of the country that is not in the north or south. ie, The Midlands.

We have it like this where I live:

12.15pm - Dinner
5pm - tea
8.30-10pm - supper.

When I'm at work it's always lunch though. No idea why.

icanonlydotigers · 27/05/2008 11:08

I grew up in the Midlands and this is what we had:
Lunch/dinner - midday. Funnily enough "lunch" and "dinner" were used but "dinner" was never used to describe an evening meal. At school we always had "school dinners".
Tea - main meal 5pm-6pm. Shepherd's pie, lasagne, etc followed by bread & butter or cake. Sometimes a cup of tea afterwards.
Supper - snack before going to bed - biscuits, cereal, toast or crackers and cheese.
Confused now?! The only one that stays the same everywhere is "breakfast".

Cappuccino · 27/05/2008 11:09

I do think Mrs Badger's summary works for me too

Cappuccino · 27/05/2008 11:10

except that lunch is at midday, rather than dinner

PuppyMonkey · 27/05/2008 11:11

Dinner is something you have in a restaurant.

PuppyMonkey · 27/05/2008 11:12

too, I meant....

Slubberdegullion · 27/05/2008 11:13

MrsB is bang on.

My etiquette book says that supper is a meal had pre-theatre, or could be post-theatre. Will have to go and check.

RustyBear · 27/05/2008 11:13

I've always used lunch for the midday meal simply because it's unlikely to confuse anyone.

The evening meal is more difficult - I used to ask DS & DD's friends round for 'tea' because they would usually be having it before 6 - now they are teenagers we eat later (depending on how fascinating MN is that evening & whether anyone else can be bothered to get it) & it gets called tea, supper or dinner at random.

Cappuccino · 27/05/2008 11:15

I always call the midday meal 'lunch' so that dh doesn't get the idea that it is going to be something elaborate