Back in the day you had dinner in the afternoon, and supper in the evening.
Now you have dinner in the evening, and who even invited this lunch guy?
When did this change happen? Is there a reason for it?
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This has been all over the place since the beginning of time. When I grew up we ate breakfast lunch and supper. Every once in awhile supper was interchanged with dinner. Then dinner became the word that you used on a Saturday or Sunday at noon when you had a big family gathering. Now that I’m 58 I go by breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I rarely say supper even though that’s how I was raised.
In the south, or when I lived there a long time ago when I was young, dinner was always the noon meal. It took me years to get used to that.
If you speak UK English and you’ve noticed this changing more recently, it’s due to US influence. In most places (except maybe the south I believe?) they’ve been calling UK dinner “lunch” and UK tea “dinner” for a long time. In Canada we usually say lunch for the mid day meal, and dinner/supper are used interchangeably for the evening meal.
Breakfast, DINNER and tea. If you have a bit of toast later that is supper.
This is correct as why else is it called ‘School Dinners’ who have ‘Dinner Ladies’ serving dinner to the kids??
You need to clarify your location/region here I think?
The definition and use of “dinner” and “lunch” is very much a regional thing here in the UK.
For example, in the north of England, “dinner” is something you’d eat around midday and “tea” is something you’d eat in the evening. You may eat a “supper” later in the evening.
However, in the south, “dinner” is almost always an evening meal with “lunch” eaten around midday.
This has been the case for generations, but the use of “dinner” to describe an evening meal is becoming more common in the north as language changes and develops. Consequently, it may well be the case that the use of “dinner” as a midday meal has started to spread more to the south too.
Language is a fantastic thing and is constantly evolving, especially between the regions of the UK as people move around move, and especially as we share and communicate more through the internet and social platforms.
Terms are colloquial depending on the regional culture of where and when you grew up, and what was common within your family. The main meals in my family were always breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, I’ve known plenty of people that refer to the midday meal as dinner, and the evening meal as supper. There’s no one correct label; all are valid.
As I understand it:
“Breakfast” is when you “break your fast”; the first meal of the day.
Before industrialization the large meal (dinner) was in the middle of the day, but after industrialization people couldn’t go home for a mid day meal, and it became “Lunch”
This moved the large meal later, and became “dinner”.
Supper which used to be the last meal became the same as dinner.
But I could be totally wrong.
Family Guy once mocked people who use the word “supper,” but I never understood what the insult was supposed to mean.
Also it depends on what you consider to be lunch. I’m from Croatia but I worked in Norway.
In Croatia, lunch is the largest family hot meal, usually around 12:00 (if you’re from a village) or 16:00 (if you’re from a city).
In Norway lunch is a sad slice of wholewheat bread with a sad slice of cheese, eaten at your lunch break, around 12:00. Dinner is a largest hot meal for the whole family eaten at 19:00.
So even if we were to define accurately at what time dinner/supper is supposed to be, every country has a different definition of what that is.
This is still a regional thing. In many parts of Appalachia (US), “dinner” is lunch and “supper” is …. well the last meal of the day.
If someone invites you to “Sunday dinner”, expect to head over after church lets out.
Supper is when you eat soup (as opposed to other meals where you don’t)
Lunch is what you eat at work
Dinner is what you eat at home or restaurant (you dine)
Breakfast is sometimes the same as lunch (brunch)
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