[starman]

I can't stand the word "supper" for some reason. Maybe it's a regional thing. Everyone in NY/NJ calls it dinner.

[sek929]

I say dinner, supper does sound like something you wouldn't want to associate with food.

[Dakar V]

It's dinner, you hicks.

[Shaddim]

It's supper, you heathens.

[Chuckit]

My brain says "supper," but I usually say "dinner" around people not in my family because there's always one person who has to be like, "Ewww, I can't stand the word supper!" But to me, "dinner" sounds like a big event with a bunch of people in formal attire, which doesn't describe my nightly ritual at all.

[Dakar V]

Do you guys call lunch dinner, too? Because it's an interesting distinction I've heard from some of the supperers.

[Chuckit]

Only on Thanksgiving.

[Chongo]

Like the Denny's ads, do you mean dinner lunch, or dinner supper? I had a childhood friend whose mother call the midday meal dinner and the evening meal supper. I believe she was from the south, 'cause she always told us to stop lallygagging

[design219]

I always thought dinner was the largest meal of the day. The noon meal was lunch and the night meal was supper. But either could be dinner.

[Big Mac]

Morning dinner? Lunch dinner? Unusual naming convention.

One rarely hears of supper in Cali.

[Oisín]

There’s an “Either” option missing in that poll.

In British English, I’d usually refer to a normal, stay-at-home evening meal as ‘supper’; in American English, I’d call it ‘dinner’ (and since I usually write in British English, I’d tend to write ‘supper’). If it’s more fancy (going to a restaurant or to a function), I’d call it ‘dinner’ in both. I’d never use either of them to refer to lunch.

I do find it rather interesting, though, that ‘dinner’ etymologically means ‘breakfast’, which is just about the only meal no one uses it to refer to.

Originally Posted by Big Mac

Morning dinner? Lunch dinner? Unusual naming convention.

I think he meant that for those who have their largest meal at noon/afternoon time, lunch = dinner; for those who have their largest meal at night, evening meal = dinner.

[ghporter]

Depends on whom I'm talking to. Some of my relatives have dinner as their noon meal and supper in the evening. Oxford says dinner is "the main meal of the day," which fits with these relatives' habits.

So as with "couch" or "davenport," I think they're both valid and both more likely to be regionally influenced than standardized.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

So as with "couch" or "davenport," I think they're both valid and both more likely to be regionally influenced than standardized.

Nonsense. One is a piece of furniture for sitting or lying on, the other is a tennis player.

[macforray]

Growing up on a farm here in NY, dinner was our afternoon meal and supper our evening meal. We did not eat breakfast until after morning chores, usually 9:30 - 10:00, dinner at about 2:30 pm and supper after evening chores, about 7:30 pm.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

Nonsense. One is a piece of furniture for sitting or lying on, the other is a tennis player.

We need an emoticon for a raspberry/Bronx Cheer. And you deserve it, too!

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

We need an emoticon for a raspberry/Bronx Cheer. And you deserve it, too!

Oh goodie. I love it when people cheer at me.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Chongo 

Like the Denny's ads, do you mean dinner lunch, or dinner supper? I had a childhood friend whose mother call the midday meal dinner and the evening meal supper. I believe she was from the south, 'cause she always told us to stop lallygagging

That's exactly what I'm referring to.

[zro]

I've had dinner for supper and supper for dinner. But I usually say "dinner," but either is fine with me.

[Laminar]

"Dinner" is ambiguous, so I always say "supper" to cause the least confusion.

[Andy8]

Supper is a lighter evening meal, usually taken earlier than normal, preceding say a concert, performance, movie and so on.

[hookem2oo7]

I've found that people that have grown up here where I'm currently living (rural NW Texas) refer to the noon-time meal as dinner, and the evening meal as supper. I had always called them lunch and dinner (grew up in Houston and San Antonio), and hadn't heard my "lunch" referred to as dinner until I moved to the Abilene (read "hick country"), TX area.

[hyteckit]

While I was living in Indiana, most people say "supper" as in "The Last Supper".

Living in Cali, almost everyone says dinner as in "Hey baby, lets go out for dinner so I can wine and dine you."

Let's have a dinner party! Eh.. supper party?

Supper is more like eating at home. Home cook meal.

[Jawbone54]

My three meals go breakfast -> lunch -> dinner. I don't hear many people under 40 around here calling the evening meal supper.

My grandpa freaks out if you call the evening meal dinner. "No, no, no! When I grew up, 'dinner' was when the sun was straight above in the sky and 'supper' was what we had when the sun set and we had to come in from working on the farm!"

"Then what is lunch, Gramps?"

"Well, it ain't supper!"

[zro]

Just tell him how many 90 year old asses you can kick. That'll change his tune.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by zro 

Just tell him how many 90 year old asses you can kick. That'll change his tune.

Never try to intimidate a man who was shot 3 times, each time in a different country...even if he is 87, likes to put his dentures on his great grandsons' stomachs, and spends more time writing Emails than I do.

[Doofy]

OK, listen up you uneducated colonial pansies.

Here's the correct order: Breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, supper.

[mattyb]

^ Subtle as usual Doofy.

Oisín, I would prefer the use of 'English English' instead of British English. Why? Because the Welsh and the Scots cannot speak English properly. Thankyou.

Dinner, comes from the French to dine, diner. Supper comes from souper, to eat soup.

Bit more here.

The last meal that I usually have involves cereal though. Barley, hops, etc etc.

[Eriamjh]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Here's the correct order: Breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, supper.

Only in Hobbiton...

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Oisín, I would prefer the use of 'English English' instead of British English. Why? Because the Welsh and the Scots cannot speak English properly. Thankyou.

Only problem is that ‘English English’ sounds ridiculous. Besides, ‘American English’ is scarcely more homogenous than ‘British English’—there’s a world of difference between an Alabama twang and a Nova Scotia twirl.

Besides, for present purposes, they’re the same, as far as I know. ‘Supper’ is used in the same way in Wales and Scotland as in England, no?

Dinner, comes from the French to dine, diner.

Which again is from disner, from Vulgar Gallo-Latin desjunare, the same word as modern déjeuner, ‘to break the fast’.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

Besides, for present purposes, they’re the same, as far as I know. ‘Supper’ is used in the same way in Wales and Scotland as in England, no?

I don't mix with rifraf, so I wouldn't know.

[osiris]

Dinner.
Supper is served in the country, with freshly made biscuits and overdeveloped virginal maidens. wait.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

"Dinner" is ambiguous, so I always say "supper" to cause the least confusion.

Whether that would cause confusion is utterly regional.
and vaginal.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Whether that would cause confusion is utterly regional.
and vaginal.

In my region, "dinner" can mean either the noon or evening meal. It's typically the evening meal, but sometimes we have Sunday dinner, which is the noon meal. So I just never say "dinner."
or "vaginal." It sounds so...medical.

[OreoCookie]

`Let's have dinner together.'
`I hope this is not going to be our last supper …'

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

In my region, "dinner" can mean either the noon or evening meal. It's typically the evening meal, but sometimes we have Sunday dinner, which is the noon meal. So I just never say "dinner."

Man, you sure have a long-winded way of repeating what I just said.
your turn

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

your turn

Too predictable.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

no white text

Too non-existant.

[Railroader]

burn.

[Jawbone54]

Dinner is name of the main meal of the day.

[Dakar V]

Save your communist sources for the PL lounge.

[Eriamjh]

And everyone knows Wikipedia is always right.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Save your communist sources for the PL lounge.

With a comment like this, I figured he was quoting something as heinous as Fox News.

[Dakar V]

I said communist, not hilarious.

[olePigeon]

My step-mom grew up in Florida. She says they had both dinner and supper. Dinner was a snack after lunch, basically another name for tea time. They had supper in the evening.

[Jawbone54]

Dinner is not dinner without real food being involved.

What do you call eating Bold Party Blend Chex Mix at 4:00 AM?

[Dakar V]

A cry for help?

[osiris]

He's here all night folks! Next show in one hour.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

What do you call eating Bold Party Blend Chex Mix at 4:00 AM?

Depends. Is a Bold Party Blend Chex Mix food or a machine?

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Save your communist sources for the PL lounge.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

A cry for help?

Fuel for LBP creation.

Originally Posted by Oisín 

Depends. Is a Bold Party Blend Chex Mix food or a machine?

It's a Junkie XL remix.