Difference between dinner and supper?

Dinner is usually more substantial than supper. Dinner for some people comes at noon, for others in the evening; so some folks eat 'breakfast - lunch - dinner', others 'breakfast - lunch - supper', and still others 'breakfast - dinner - supper'.

And then there are those who get the munchies and eat any time.

I grew up eating breakfast, dinner and tea.

but now I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, except when I am volunteering at a residential project I go to each year, when I eat breakfast, lunch and supper.

At weekends I tend to eat brunch and dinner or dinner (if we are having a 'roast' as you don't say roast lunch) and yet another dinner, or possibly tea.

Confusing I kno

This was the 'traditional' BrE distinction:

1. Breakfast, dinner, tea (6o/c-ish) = 'working class', with 'dinner' used even if the midday meal was only something light (a sandwich, etc), and 'tea' used even if it was a heavy meal.

2. Breakfast, lunch, dinner (7o/c-ish) = 'lower/middle middle class'.

3. Breakfast, lunch, supper (8o/c-ish) = 'upper middle' or 'upper cl

dinner--->A banquet or formal meal in honor of a person or an event.
supper--->A light evening meal when dinner is taken at midday.

A night cap is a late night, usually alchoholic, drink.

Dear Mr P,


I'm happy to inform that these social distinctions with regard to naming meals do indeed stand in post-War Britain!

I still have friends who "cook tea" for their children (at supper-time), have a break for their "dinner" (when we're all taking our luncheon), and never appear to eat supper.

They must be starving and very confused.

I belong to

Thank goodness we may all enjoy breakfast.

Except that the supperly-inclined who return from a 'dinner' and subsequent revels at 2o/c in the morning may well decide to have 'breakfast' before they retire — not so long after those who 'cooked tea' the evening before were having their 'supper'...

In Illinois, where I was born, they rang the dinner bell at noon to call the hands in from the fields. Dinner was always a very substantial meal, because they may work till dark. I agree Thank Goodness for Breakfast.

Forgive me for joining in the discussion so late!

When I was a child, growing up in the suburbs of London, it was breakfast - dinner - supper. That seems to have changed in the late 70's and since then I and all my family have eaten breakfast - lunch - dinner. I suspect this is an Americanism which crept in in the 70's. It would seem strange to me now to describe the evening meal as "su

Stop this already! I am getting too hungry!