afternoon tea
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun[edit]
afternoon tea (countable and uncountable, plural afternoon teas)
- (UK) A formal afternoon meal comprising light snacks, accompanied by tea.
- 1964 May, “News and Comment: BR meal prices up again”, in Modern Railways, page 293:
- Afternoon tea remains at its present price of 4s, but the prices of all other main meals have risen by 1s. Thus a full breakfast now costs 10s, lunch 13s 6d and dinner 14s 6d or 16s 6d according to train.
- 2007, Andrea Broomfield, Food and Cooking in Victorian England: A History[1], page 59:
- As with luncheon, afternoon tea was often a women's gathering for reasons that take us back to the reign of Charles II.
- 2010, Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince, Frommer's England 2011: With Wales[2], page 165:
- Everyone should indulge in a formal afternoon tea at least once while in London. This relaxing, drawn-out, civilized affair consists of three courses, all elegantly served on fine china: dainty finger sandwiches (with the crusts cut off, of course); then fresh-baked scones served with jam and deliciously decadent clotted cream (the rich, thick cream is also known as Devonshire cream); and lastly, an array of bite-size sweets. All the while, an indulgent server keeps the pot of your choice fresh at hand.
- 2010, Rick Steves, Rick Steves′ England 2011[3], page 179:
- At all the places listed below, it's perfectly acceptable to order one afternoon tea and one cream tea (at about £5) and split the afternoon tea goodies.
- 2011, Darwin Porter, Frommer's Bahamas 2012[4], page 67:
- The British tradition of afternoon tea is still observed on the last Friday of each month, from January to August, at the hilltop mansion of the governor-general in Nassau.
- (Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong) A small meal or snack eaten between lunch and dinner (supper); a period of time set aside for this purpose, taken as a break from work or from a conference.
- 1993, AUUGN[5], page 53:
- After afternoon tea we all combine again for a plenary session, followed by the UniForum NZ AGM.
- 1995, David Marshall, Food Choice and the Consumer[6], page 270:
- In looking at meal structures, Douglas (1972) made a clear distinction between the afternoon tea which is a snack and the high tea which is classified as a light meal.
Synonyms[edit]
- tea, high tea, teatime; see also Thesaurus:meal
Coordinate terms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
formal afternoon meal
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light meal or snack taken in the mid to late afternoon
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