Why do English people call 'Dinner', 'Tea?

NeverendingR | 18:24 Wed 11th Jun 2008 | Phrases & Sayings

26 Answers

I've always called it dinner and I grew up in England, but I still dont understand why people call it Tea. I've asked friends who call it that, and they dont know either! haha

Pick up the mantle

3 O'clocksies

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dundurn

I'm with Quizmonster! And of course once a year at least, no matter what class you are, you have Christmas Dinner between 1 o'clock and the Queen (gawd bless 'er!). Yet further proof that dinner is your main meal, whenever it is.

annie0000

When I was a child growing up - most definitely working class (ie. 1 pair of shoes at a time) we went to school dinners and had tea in the evening (In Scotland) . Now my kids upbringing is a bit more wealthy than my own (more pairs of shoes than you can shake a stick at) and we would now call the meal in the middle of the day "Lunch" and our evening meal "Dinner" - unless we are going to Granny's and then we go for Tea!

taichiperson

Dinner is main meal, whatever time it is. Lunch is around midday. Tea is a light meal, aternoon or early evening.
Not just England- viz. the Scottish "You'll have had your tea?" meaning they're too tight to offer you food!!

kira000

As is shown by the answers ths far, people tend to be split into two camps. Dinner= lunch, tea =evening meal Or

Lunch= lunch, dinner= evening meal.

From my personal experience, the half of my family from the midlands and Northern England use the former, and the half from the South of England use the latter.
I'm firmly from the SE, and i've always used lunch at midday and dinner in the evening.

I suspect the differences probably stem from regions and the eating habits brought about from the different industry prevalent in different regions. i.e (historically) more heavy manual industry in the north, which required larger meals in the daytime to keep the workers going, thus the main meal was at midday and was named dinner. The lighter meal was eaten when the workers got home, after the days work was done, and was tea.
In areas of lighter industry, non manual labour, a lighter meal was sufficient to keep one going during the day, and was lunch, the main meal was then eaten after the days work, and was dinner...

fabioburke

Tea is an experiment by the government which has got totally out of hand.

fabioburke

is cooking a tescos pizza at gone midnight because your feeling a bit peckish classed as tea?

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