# What Do You Call the Afternoon and Evening Meals **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 20, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781 "2010-04-20T19:13:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/1 "2010-04-20T19:13:55Z")
I hear the terms “supper” and “dinner” used interchangeably for the evening meal, and the terms “lunch” and “dinner” used interchangeably for the noon meal. Even here in the white-bread midwest, I hear people from the same socio-economic groups using different terms. As for me, noon meal always = lunch, and evening meal always = supper. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/2 "2010-04-20T19:23:49Z")
I said lunch and dinner because that’s my “grown up” terminology. In my earlier days it was dinner and supper. Once I moved dinner to evenings, supper went away. It used to be that the noon meal was the bigger affair so dinner made sense. Once the noon meal became a lighter meal, lunch made sense, too. If it matters, I spent my “dinner-supper” years in Alabama. The “lunch-dinner” years have been in Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/3 "2010-04-20T19:28:46Z")
Lunch is always at noon/afternoon Supper is always in the evening. Dinner is a main meal, and can been noon or evening. So normally, I have lunch and dinner. If I’m having a bunch of people over for a large meal on Sunday afternoon, then we have dinner and supper. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/4 "2010-04-20T19:47:12Z")
When I was a kid, it was lunch and supper. This was in southeastern PA. Over the years, I’ve adopted “lunch” and “dinner,” although I was told when I was young that “dinner” is more like “lunch.” Except for Sunday dinner, which is still in the afternoon but more food than regular lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/5 "2010-04-20T19:54:07Z")
A meal taken between noon and two is lunch. A meal taken between 2 and 7 is dinner. A meal taken after 7 is supper. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/6 "2010-04-20T19:57:49Z")
I use dinner/supper interchangeably. ---
**Author:** ![breaking-reality](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@breaking-reality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breaking-reality)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/7 "2010-04-20T19:59:09Z")
Mid-day meal is always lunch. I mostly say dinner for the evening meal, but sometimes say supper. Usually it’s “Let’s get something for dinner” or “Supper’s ready”. I would guess it’s about an 80/20 split saying dinner over supper. As far as it possibly being an age/location thing…I’m 23 and live in the Mid-west. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/8 "2010-04-20T20:04:15Z")
Lunch and dinner in Central Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![KittenKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kittenkat/32/306_2.png) [@KittenKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KittenKat)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/9 "2010-04-20T20:21:37Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Lunch is always at noon/afternoon > Supper is always in the evening. > Dinner is a main meal, and can been noon or evening. > > So normally, I have lunch and dinner. If I’m having a bunch of people over for a large meal on Sunday afternoon, then we have dinner and supper. I agree with this. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/10 "2010-04-20T20:24:52Z")
Yup, what **Tastes** said. Almost always lunch and dinner, but a big meal in the afternoon with friends or family is Sunday (or Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or whatever) dinner. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/11 "2010-04-20T20:26:28Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > A meal taken between noon and two is lunch. A meal taken between 2 and 7 is dinner. A meal taken after 7 is supper. As someone who rarely eats three separate larger meals - I’m more of a grazer, so \>3 per day for me - I have to say I like this system, though it’s certainly the first time I’ve encountered it and wouldn’t expect anyone else to know what the heck I meant. I’m please to see that “my” system (noon meal = lunch, evening meal = dinner) is so far the majority in the poll. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/12 "2010-04-20T20:35:26Z")
My mom’s parents used to say “dinner and supper”. They were from Nebraska, born 1911. My parents said “lunch and supper” when I was a kid. They are from Maryland, born 1938 and 1941. I don’t know if they still do this. I say “lunch and dinner”. That’s what’s on the restaurant menus, so when I was a kid that was obviously the right way. I’m from Maryland, born 1975. I don’t remember what my dad’s parents used to say, but my mom’s parents calling lunch “dinner” struck me as weird when I was a kid. “Supper” seemed normal, even if not as good or modern as calling it “dinner”. (Note: this is what I thought when I was a kid. Adult me knows that they’re different dialects, and no dialect is intrinsically better or worse than any other.) Did restaurant menus anywhere ever use “supper”, or use “dinner” to mean the midday meal? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that did. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/13 "2010-04-20T21:01:12Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Lunch is always at noon/afternoon > Supper is always in the evening. > Dinner is a main meal, and can been noon or evening. > > So normally, I have lunch and dinner. If I’m having a bunch of people over for a large meal on Sunday afternoon, then we have dinner and supper. This is how it is in our family. Supper is never a particularly involved meal, either. If we’ve had dinner I might just fix some canned soup for supper. SUpper after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is just a grazing of the leftovers from dinner. The majority of days our family eats brakfast, lunch and dinner though. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/14 "2010-04-20T21:15:43Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > A meal taken between noon and two is lunch. A meal taken between 2 and 7 is dinner. A meal taken after 7 is supper. So Dinner Theater is between 2 and 7? Homie don’t play that. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/15 "2010-04-20T21:20:11Z")
I had a plumber tell me he would be out around dinner time. I missed him twice before I realized he meant lunch time. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/16 "2010-04-20T21:49:53Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Lunch is always at noon/afternoon > Supper is always in the evening. > Dinner is a main meal, and can been noon or evening. > > So normally, I have lunch and dinner. If I’m having a bunch of people over for a large meal on Sunday afternoon, then we have dinner and supper. ^^^ This ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/17 "2010-04-20T21:52:31Z")
The noon meal is lunch, the evening meal is supper. Dinner is when you have to dress for the occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/18 "2010-04-20T22:01:02Z")
Would someone who calls the noon meal “dinner” go out on Sunday morning for “brinner”? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/19 "2010-04-20T22:03:47Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Would someone who calls the noon meal “dinner” go out on Sunday morning for “brinner”? That’s not quite as bad as a 3:00 Sunday “brlupper.” I’ve actually had a few of those. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781/20 "2010-04-20T22:14:28Z")
All my life my mother has confused me by using “dinner” to sometimes mean lunch and sometimes supper - as far as I’m concerned dinner is another word for supper. I don’t know anyone else to ever call lunch anything but lunch. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-afternoon-and-evening-meals/536781.md?page=2)