Well, whadda you call 'em then?

[FaninOz]

Regarding mealtimes... I have one question...

When you're at school, what are those women called who hang around, supervising the yard?

They are called Dinner Ladies. They are called Dinner Ladies because they look after you at dinner time... ie noon-ish.

Therefore, dinner cannot be an evening meal... so it's tea.

So there you have it.

Breakfast, Dinner, Tea.

Have to agree with that but would add supper, so its Breakfast, Dinner, Tea and Supper as far as I am concerened.

However, most other people I meet use Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, they don't seem to have Supper. They take lunch boxes for their midday meal not dinner boxes.

So there we have it I am in a minority, can be quite embarassing when you are invited out for dinner and you arrive 7 hours early at around half past 12.

[mofgimmers]

... can be quite embarassing when you are invited out for dinner and you arrive 7 hours early at around half past 12.

Hahahaha!

[TANGODANCER]

Another term I can't come to '"terms" with is "Brunch" (probably American originated). You either have breakfast, or lunch. If it's before 10-00 am, it's "breakfast" , after that, it's early dinner (or lunch; never sure where that one came from either). Why do we need "Brunch" on the scene?

Elevenses is self explanatory for a snack around 11-00 am. Supper is anything between teatime and bedtime. In Spain it is common to have an evening meal around 9-0/10-00 in the evening. This is called "Cena" and can mean either dinner, or supper. Why all this confusion? Breakfast, dinner, tea and supper were always good enough for years.

[thebish]

also...

you canb have a power-breakfast, a power-lunch..

but you don't often hear of a power-dinner or a power-supper...

Phil

[TANGODANCER]

also...

you canb have a power-breakfast, a power-lunch..

but you don't often hear of a power-dinner or a power-supper... Phil

Eaten whilst wearing you "power suit" no doubt.

[mofgimmers]

also...

you canb have a power-breakfast, a power-lunch..

but you don't often hear of a power-dinner or a power-supper...

Phil

This bloke had power-dinner/lunch/supper/breakfast/brunch/elevenses...

[Raven]

BDT for me too

The girlfriend did once but "batches" on our shopping list, I had to phone home to find out what they were (bread rolls)

OK who has eaten macaroni as a pud, cooked in milk? I think this is an age thing not a area thing, the younger ones look on in horror when I mention this - although seem to really enjoy it when they eat it...well one did

[TANGODANCER]

Got a sudden yen for a good old-fashioned slice of Turog with Irish best butter on it. Anyone remember "Moonraker" butter?

[Bruce Rioja]

In Leicestersestersosstershire they call a barm cake a cob!!

Idiots to a man I tellz ya.

Also (and completely unrelated), did you know that the National Space Centre is in Leicester? Why? Launch rockets in South Wigston do they? Get some crisps cooked you tossers!

[enfieldwhite]

In Leicestersestersosstershire they call a barm cake a cob!!

Idiots to a man I tellz ya.

Also (and completely unrelated), did you know that the National Space Centre is in Leicester? Why? Launch rockets in South Wigston do they? Get some crisps cooked you tossers!

I have often passed the sign on the M1, the one with the space rocket shaped like something off Wallace and Gromit. Always makes me smile.

[Montreal Wanderer]

Regarding mealtimes... I have one question...

When you're at school, what are those women called who hang around, supervising the yard?

They are called Dinner Ladies. They are called Dinner Ladies because they look after you at dinner time... ie noon-ish.

Therefore, dinner cannot be an evening meal... so it's tea.

So there you have it.

Breakfast, Dinner, Tea.

Over here they are called lunch monitors which makes your argument ethnocentric, mof. No one disputes that the majority in England have dinner at noonish. However, this is not universal. Even the Oxford English Dictionary recognizes differences in England when it defines dinner as:

1. a. The chief meal of the day, eaten originally, and still by the majority of people, about the middle of the day (cf. Ger. Mittagsessen), but now, by the professional and fashionable classes, usually in the evening; particularly, a formally arranged meal of various courses; a repast given publicly in honour of some one, or to celebrate some event.

Luncheon or lunch it defines as:

Originally, a slight repast taken between two of the ordinary meal-times, esp. between breakfast and mid-day dinner. The word retains this original application with those who use dinner as the name of the mid-day meal; with those who ‘dine’ in the evening, luncheon denotes a meal (understood to be less substantial and less ceremonious than dinner) taken usually in the early afternoon.

So there are no real rights or wrongs on the question - just regional, and apparently social, usage.

[mofgimmers]

Over here they are called lunch monitors which makes your argument ethnocentric, mof.

I really don't mind being ethnocentric from time to time...

1. a. The chief meal of the day, eaten originally, and still by the majority of people, about the middle of the day (cf. Ger. Mittagsessen), but now, by the professional and fashionable classes, usually in the evening; particularly, a formally arranged meal of various courses; a repast given publicly in honour of some one, or to celebrate some event.

Regarding myself as neither fashionable or professional, I think I'm right to stick with dinner at noon!

Originally, a slight repast taken between two of the ordinary meal-times, esp. between breakfast and mid-day dinner. The word retains this original application with those who use dinner as the name of the mid-day meal; with those who ‘dine’ in the evening, luncheon denotes a meal (understood to be less substantial and less ceremonious than dinner) taken usually in the early afternoon.

Even though it claims this 'lunch' thing to be 'between breakfast and mid-day dinner'... implying that dinner is the proper meal between breakfast and tea!

Obviously, it's a regional thing... I thought that was obvious... but nice to have a debate about it nonetheless. For the record, I've just eaten a fishfinger sandwich for me dinner. Alright!

[Raven]

In Leicestersestersosstershire they call a barm cake a cob!!

Idiots to a man I tellz ya.

Also (and completely unrelated), did you know that the National Space Centre is in Leicester? Why? Launch rockets in South Wigston do they? Get some crisps cooked you tossers!

Probably the quickest way out of Leicester, you can't blame them

[Gnome]

In Leicestersestersosstershire they call a barm cake a cob!!

yes, we had this argument at work the other day and someone said it was cob, not a barm/roll/whatever, and she was from Derby

its breakfast int the morning, tea in the evening and lunch/dinner in the middle depending on who im talking to, i use both.

[FaninOz]

In Leicestersestersosstershire they call a barm cake a cob!!

yes, we had this argument at work the other day and someone said it was cob, not a barm/roll/whatever, and she was from Derby

its breakfast int the morning, tea in the evening and lunch/dinner in the middle depending on who im talking to, i use both.

A cob has a hard dry crust whilst a barm cake has a soft and floury crust. Also cobs are usually round with a spherical top and a flat bottom whilst barm cakes are round with a flat top and bottom.

Out of interest when I had a lot to do with American's in business they used to take the piss out of me for using the word "whilst", they thought that it was soooooo funny and a very English upper crust word! (excuse the pun)

[Montreal Wanderer]

No puns are ever truly excused.
Re whilst and the US.

[Q] From Gary Wade: “As an American who has spent some bit of time with British English, I have always wondered about the difference between while and whilst. Is there a relationship to formal and informal tenses left over from Old English? I also think of amid and amidst.”

[A] You’re close to the target with your second example. Another pair of a similar kind is among and amongst (a third pair, again and against, has a similar origin but the sense of the words has since diverged).

In both cases, the form ending in -st actually contains the -s of the genitive ending (which we still have today, though usually written as ’s, of course). In Middle English, this was often added to words used as adverbs (as while became whiles, which often turned up in the compound adverbs somewhiles and otherwhiles). What seems to have happened is that a -t was later added in the south of England through confusion with the superlative ending -st (as in gentlest).

Both while and whilst are ancient, though while is older. There’s no difference in meaning between them. For reasons that aren’t clear, whilst has survived in British English but has died out in the US. However, in Britain it is considered to be a more formal and literary word than its counterpart. I have a small weakness for it, for which I’ve been gently teased in the past.

[enfieldwhite]

Forget cobs, baps, rolls, and barms what about OVEN-BOTTOM cakes?

[Bruce Rioja]

Forget cobs, baps, rolls, and barms what about OVEN-BOTTOM cakes?

Ah yes. I tend to find that oven bottoms sort of 'set-in' for a half a day after you've eaten one.

[Henrik's fan club]

it's a Barm round wigan....although in a uni campus consisting of people from all over the country there's much confusion when it comes to putting barms/rolls/baps/tea cakes/cobs/whatever n the shopping list.

[TANGODANCER]

"Mind", is a straight-forward English word....until you apply it to expressions like "mind out of the way", "Mind you", "Mind your manners" etc etc. Common usage from hearing it, but odd.