Would it annoy you if you met someone who kept referring to dinner as ‘supper’ all the time?

Question

Supper was originally a secondary lighter evening meal. The main meal of the day, called dinner, used to be served closer to what is known as lunchtime, around the middle of the day, but crept later over the centuries, mostly over the course of the 19th century. When dinner was still at the early time, eating a lighter supper in the evening was very common; it was not always the last meal of the day, as there might be a tea later. Reflecting the typical custom of 17th century elites, Louis XIV dined at noon, with a supper at 10pm. Even when dinner was in the early evening, supper was served at, or on return from, a ball, and might be after other evening excursions. At an English ball in 1791, supper was served to 140 guests at 1:00am. They would all have had dinner at home many hours earlier, before coming out. Other, grander, balls served supper even later, up to 3:30 am., at a London ball given in 1811 by the Duchess of Bedford.

The modern usage of "supper" varies considerably; sometimes supper is still used to describe a light snack or meal in the evening, either after or instead of dinner, but often it replaces dinner as the term for the main evening meal.

CrazyGirl2 · Accepted Answer

In my earliest years, I was raised in The North of England, where Dinner was what we ate at school, and tea was what your mum (or your chef) cocked in the evening. I even remember during a field trip to the blue-john mine, (i was about 6, so it must have been right before we returned to the states) we took a packed “lunch”, I sat there, not eating, but staring at it in the bag and out of the bag… I just could not figure out why if it’s dinner w/o the bag, how did putting it into the bag make it lunch? Ahhh the things we wonder over when we are children!

DarkCarousel · Accepted Answer

My grandparents and ancestors referred to it as supper. I think my great-aunt still does. I can recall her saying, “We should have a little supper” around 10pm or so. She’d make tea and crackers or maybe even more.

Massageman · Accepted Answer

Yes, you nailed it. I'm a Bohemian, and yes, many European countries still consider that 2-3:00 pm meal as THE big meal of the day- the "dinner", with supper barely being more than a light snack. My wife and I have highly divergent schedules, so we usually have some big meal (whatever you call it) between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, and a lighter, but full meal at supper-time or later. We'll have some fruit somewhere in between, too.

ChrisMaster69 · Accepted Answer

You say Tea time as in the evening meal.  Then later on have supper, Dinner is what you have at lunch, hence School dinners.

SaoirseS · Answer

No it wouldn’t annoy me. Here supper and dinner mean the same thing. Some say supper, some say dinner. We get it.

Cynicaldreamer · Answer

My dad and most older people in my area still call dinner "supper," it's how they were raised.
Honestly, it doesn't really bother me so much as confuses me sometimes because they consider dinner "lunch." Meaning when I ask my dad what he's eating for dinner and he says something like a sandwich, I have to remind myself that's lunch for him, LOL

gabby100 · Answer

The early meaning of these terms are clouded by history. Also it depends on where you come from.
I live in Yorkshire UK. For us , breakfast, lunch, mid day, dinner after work, supper last meal of the day..
Right or wrong its what you are brought up with..

Apple1996 · Answer

My family says supper. It doesn't bother me but I do say dinner. Always thought it was a old person thing

Genie23 · Answer

I invited you for SUPPER last weekend, Toad. Why didn't you come? Oh, speaking of SUPPER... It's time for SUPPER. 😛

purplepoppy · Answer

I'd class supper as a late night meal but the early evening meal is either called tea (not the drink) or dinner depending on your family while others call the mid day meal dinner instead of lunch. To confuse things you say "it's dinnertime what's for lunch" or you can have a fish supper for tea.
There's a lot of snobbery over the terms and we've all learned not to discuss it because it causes fights.

anton_dee · Answer

I don't care what it called. When I'm hungry imma eatin somethin... I eat it, you name it...

Squaresquirrel · Answer

It would/did confuse me. As I lived in different parts of the UK, when they call dinner supper, which when I learned English, I learned it meant lunch, I was confused.

menina · Answer

It wouldn't bother me at all. The first time I saw the word "supper" written on a book it made me laugh.  But now I know what it really means and it makes to me. Thanks for sharing this.

GoodGuyBreakingBad · Answer

Nah wouldn't bother me... My late great grandparents were from Scotland and both Scottish, my Grand-dad would say to Grandma when it was supposed to be supper he said to her, Good Tea Tine ( teen), see her name was Christina

douride2 · Answer

Supper dinner? Two words that are interchangeable. They mean pretty much the same thing here. Usually I have supper at home. If I'm going out with a friend to eat in the evening. I say we are going out for dinner.

Amy10223 · Answer

Someone I used to know said that all the time. I say either dinner or supper. Supper seems more old fashioned, though.

DonkeyDan · Answer

Supper is a perfectly fine some of my family used the word supper.

Tiptoetamm · Answer

I know I lot of people that call dinner Supper most of them are older than me

UniquelyBasic · Answer

And if they drank tea while stretching their pinky out.

FinalFantasyBro · Answer

Yes it sometimes would be annoying to me because no one I know I know say supper so it be inordinately weird

TyLeeAndPink · Answer

My grandpa used to say “supper” so it would make me really happy, I think.

Phoenix98 · Answer

It wouldn’t bother me I’ve used both to describe my evening meal.

Would it annoy you if you met someone who kept referring to dinner as ‘supper’ all the time?

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