What Do You Call Your Mid-Day Meal? Your Evening Meal?

[rastahomie]

In this thread, my use of the word "lunch" to describe the mid-day meal and "supper" to describe the evening meal has caused some amusement. So let's talk.

First, English is an ambiguous language. Don't believe me? You have nephews and nieces, and brothers and sisters. But do you have gender-specific terms for your cousins? No, you don't. Because English is ambiguous.

Second, on different sides of The Pond, on different sides of the northern border, and even on different sides of state lines, we use English differently. Don't believe me? Go to a grocery store in Boston, where the shoppers push around "buggies," while in Chicago or Kansas City they're "carts," and in Manchester or Leeds they're... prams?

So anyway, lunch, dinner, and supper: I was brought up in the Midwest (central Illinois), and the terms "lunch" and "dinner" were used interchangeably, as were the terms "dinner" and "supper." It all depended on context.

But as a man who gets paid for using words properly, ambiguity is contra-indicated. So I just say "lunch" and "supper."

What say you, DISers?

 

[mjkacmom]

Lunch at noon, dinner at six, no one uses the term supper here.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

I was raised in Saskatchewan and we used the terms "lunch" and "supper," however, it wouldn't be a stretch to have someone say, "Would you like to come for dinner? Supper is at six."

 

[Magpie]

Lunch at noon, dinner at six. Ontario, Canada.

I honestly can't remember the last time I heard someone say, "supper".

 

[Christine]

Lunch mid-day, Dinner in the evening. I'm one of *those* people who cringes when I hear the word "supper." I wish I could explain why.

 

[godders]

In this thread, my use of the word "lunch" to describe the mid-day meal and "supper" to describe the evening meal has caused some amusement. So let's talk.

First, English is an ambiguous language. Don't believe me? You have nephews and nieces, and brothers and sisters. But do you have gender-specific terms for your cousins? No, you don't. Because English is ambiguous.

Second, on different sides of The Pond, on different sides of the northern border, and even on different sides of state lines, we use English differently. Don't believe me? Go to a grocery store in Boston, where the shoppers push around "buggies," while in Chicago or Kansas city they're "carts" and in Manchester or Leeds they're... prams?

So anyway, lunch, dinner, and supper: I was brought up in the Midwest (central Illinois), and the terms "lunch" and "dinner" were used interchangeably, as were the terms "dinner" and "supper." It all depended on context.

But as a man who gets paid for using words properly, ambiguity is contra-indicated. So I just say "lunch" and "supper."

What say you, DISers?

The lunch/dinner/supper debate is often on a North/South divide. For my family being from Manchester (in the North) we would say dinner for lunch - i.e. "school dinners" and you come home in time for supper although we've lived in the South for so long we use them all interchangeably.

In England when you go to a supermarket you push around a "trolley" and we used to nickname air stewardesses as "trolley dollies." Buggies and prams are what we use to push around small children.

 

[Tattylou]

I am born and raised 10 min south of Boston and have never ever heard buggies used at the grocery store. We say shopping cart or carriages.
I say lunch for midday and I say dinner for the late day meal. My parents and older relatives say supper though.

 

[Shanti]

Traditionally in most of America, dinner was the big meal and served midday, and supper was a light meal served at night. This worked well when most people worked on farms or their own small shops close to home. In modern times, the big midday meal takes too much time out of a compact workday, so the light meal is lunch & is served midday, and we have a heavy dinner at night. The old tradition lingers for some families at Thanksgiving and Christmas, when they still have dinner midday. This is the case for our family.

 

[Squirlz]

Lunch and dinner here. But the cats understand the magic word SUPPERTIME!

I used to have a job that took me to our plant in South Carolina occasionally. One week that I was there the attractive receptionist asked if I wanted to go to dinner. I'm thinking "allRIGHT!" right? Then she says "Okay meet us out front at noon."

 

[kimblebee]

Lunch and supper here.

 

[rastahomie]

In England when you go to a supermarket you push around a "trolley" and we used to nickname air stewardesses as "trolley dollies." Buggies and prams are what we use to push around small children.

In the US, a trolley is a form of transportation, like a streetcar.

And don't get me started on "public schools," lol.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

Here in NY State it's lunch in the mid-day and dinner in the evening. But don't get me started on the "soda" vs. "pop" debate.

 

[earfulofmagic]

So anyway, lunch, dinner, and supper: I was brought up in the Midwest (central Illinois), and the terms "lunch" and "dinner" were used interchangeably, as were the terms "dinner" and "supper." It all depended on context.

This was pretty much all I was going to say. Context, context, context!

I, as a 20-something who grew up in FL and live on the west coast now, just say lunch for midday meals and dinner for evening meal. My dad always said supper (he is in his 70s now) and grew up in Georgia + Michigan. I love hearing and saying supper, but in practice, nobody around me uses it. So I have to be content saying it in my head or reading it in older novels

 

[godders]

In the US, a trolley is a form of transportation, like a streetcar.

And don't get me started on "public schools," lol.

I have some very fond memories of riding the trolleys in San Fran and Washington. In the UK, the equivalent mode of transport is called a tram.

Public schools in the UK come with "delightful" uniforms hahaha

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Born and raised in NJ. It's lunch and dinner. Never hear the word supper around here.

 

[rastahomie]

Public schools in the UK come with "delightful" uniforms hahaha

Public schools in the US are like public libraries or public transportation: taxpayer-funded. Some require uniforms, most do not.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Here in NY State it's lunch in the mid-day and dinner in the evening. But don't get me started on the "soda" vs. "pop" debate.

I lived in the Buffalo area briefly as a kid. I never stopped saying soda. I remember the day we arrived it took a long discussion with a store clerk for him to realize we wanted a Coke. We kept saying soda and he looked at us like we had 10 heads.

 

[amberpi]

I love this post and general discussions!

As I expressed in the other thread, I use breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. My friends/colleagues overseas muddle that up with even more options. I did a gig in London and did use a trolley at Tesco, but I always found that and the use of "buggy" for a grocery cart to make me annoyed. A cart is something pushed and a buggy is something pulled and a trolley is a form of transportation. I get focused on literal stuff sometimes.

BTW, brunch dates are the new dinner dates. I couldn't tell you which one is boozier.

I'd talk about this stuff all day!

 

[DisBabe94]

Lunch and Dinner here. However my grandma does say supper.. so I have always thought of it as an older generation thing

The one that I see here on the boards all the time that really grinds my gears is people saying that they got "on" line for a ride or checkout or what have you. I can't explain it but this one causes me physical anguish aghhhh You are IN line not ON it!!!

 

[earfulofmagic]

Lunch and Dinner here. However my grandma does say supper.. so I have always thought of it as an older generation thing

The one that I see here on the boards all the time that really grinds my gears is people saying that they got "on" the line for a ride or checkout or what have you. I can't explain it but this one causes me physical anguish aghhhh You are IN line not ON it!!!

Hah!! I haven't come across that yet on the boards but I would mentally correct that to "in" as well.