Sunday, August 10, 2008

What did I just eat?


I just finished my big meal of the day. It's 3:30 in the afternoon. So, here is my conundrum. What exactly do you call what I just ate? Those of us versed in the Americanized version of the English language have taken the words "breakfast" and 'lunch" to form the word brunch. Of course, brunch is used to describe a meal which falls between the traditional hours that breakfast and lunch are served. It is a late breakfast and early lunch combined into one.

So why has it taken so long to find a word to describe a meal that takes place during the hours between lunch and dinner? Certainly I'm not the only person in the history of civilization that has chosen to eat a substantial meal between the lunch hour and dinner hour. I'm guessing anyone who has done this in the past is either not as smart as me or too lazy to make the effort to find a moniker for this most rare of meals. Well my ten faithful readers, I have determined that this travesty of the English language can go on no longer. Therefore, I shall submit to you a number of suggestions that could eventually lead to the creation of a new word. Short of siring any heirs (which will never happen for obvious reasons), my sole legacy may be my contribution to the language.

lunner: In the tradition of "brunch," if you take lunch+dinner you have the best candidate for the dictionary.
linner: a variation of lunner, lunch+dinner would yield this option. In my opinion, both lunner and linner have great potential. I personally would opt for lunner as it most closely resembles brunch which has already gained worldwide acceptance.
lupper: For those of you not familar with southern hospitality, dinner is called "supper" south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Therefore, I feel compelled to offer this option (lunch+supper). I can't wholeheartedly endorse this one due to its only regional appeal.
dinch: While not chronologically correct, this approach does need to considered. This is dinner+lunch .
dunch: As above, it is a variation of dinch dinner+lunch. In all fairness, I don't believe dinch and dunch are appropriate because the contractions are in inverse order, placing dinner before lunch which is not correct.

So there you have it. A chance to make history and leave a mark on our society. To qualify for inclusion in any dictionary, a word must gain popular acceptance and frequent use. Therefore, I need you to literally "spread the word" and start using your preferred version of the words above. I'd ask that "lunner" be your choice, but I leave it up to you and your best judgement.

16 comments:

Suzanne said...

Well, being from the Catskills, dinner was always called supper. Does that make a New Yorker or a Southerner? Hummmmmmmmmmmm.

Penelope said...

I always call the last meal of the day "dinner" and I'm in Texas. I hear it called supper often though.

Karen

j said...

I've always used "linner" to describe such a meal. Though I could be persuaded to use "lunner," to help you make your mark on the world.

And I spent half of my childhood (just) south of the Mason Dixon line. We never ate supper, just dinner (and breakfast and lunch, of course).

Unknown said...

Ok...so Lunner it is! I shall start the spreading of that little seed! It has a nice ring to it...I do like it, BoB! So, will this make you some kind of famous?! WOW, if this does I can say that I am one of your faithful ten! Yippeee!
Love ya!
Robyn

So...on the nurse front are you interested still...? There is one I really think would/could be a winner! Her name is Lisa and she is from Bloixi but now transplanted here in Sacramento! Well email me and let me know...it could be a kick to give it a try...right?!

Suzanne said...

Okay lunner it is. So when I snack around 3:30 I'm having lunner? That's how it works. Right?

The comments are killing me. You sure draw a smart, happy crowd of 9!

I see Robyn's here. She's trying to set you up. I LOVE IT! I say give it a try baby. Lisa's from Bloxie ~ a southern charmer. Wow!!! If this works out and the wedding is next summer, you realized all your blogging friends have to sit in the front row with your family. Right? Now that is a funny family photo. I just thought about RC and IV in the front row!!! Dear Lord. Let us pray.

Love ya honey. Still recovering from the party. Thanks for making it such an amazing event. Same time next year?! RC may not recover till next year.

Big hug and kiss!
Blottie

Anonymous said...

Give it a whirl, Bob! I am sure Lisa would love lunner - would give you much more time in the evening. :)

Megan said...

Wasn't there a Seinfeld episode on this subject?

Bob, let me know your range because there's some hotties I know up north that would love some lunner.

Unless by a miracle you move to L.A. and then I call dibs. ;)

Anonymous said...

I think "lunner" is the best word to spread here. As you said, it is the most appropriate since it uses the "Lunch" + "dinner" contraction. I don't think people use "supper" that much anymore so "lunner" is best. But I'm not from the South so I don't know. Maybe if you're from the South you use "lupper" that way people would know to talk to you very slowly with a slow drawl.

Anonymous said...

Hey RC... watch it with the southern drawl thing :)
We aren't all backward ya know.

I'll spread lunner. I think it's perfecto.

INNER VOICES said...

post+ lunch = punch
how bout a spin on second breakfast... second lunch??

predinner could be pinner, prinner...

"the big snack"?


huh....

just bob said...

Blottie... was it the southern end of the Catskills?

Penelope/Karen... So does that mean you are anti-lunner?

Jennifer... You say toe-MAY-toe and I say toe-MAH-toe, you say linner and I say lunner, let's call the whole thing off!

Robyn... Thanks for joining the lunner campaign and being one of the special 10 readers.

Blottie again... I'm glad you enjoyed our little cyber-party!

Megan... I don't remember that Seinfeld episode. I'll have to go back and look it up. Thanks for joining the lunner campaign!

RC... Thanks for joining the lunner campaign! Yes, supper is a key word that will almost always tip off a true Southerner.

catscratch... I know all y'all ain't backward. But the one's that are sure are fun to watch.

IV... Post+lunch=Punch would be appropriate for a mid-afternoon snack, especially if that punch had plenty of rum in it!

Anonymous said...

I thought a meal near 4:00PM was called high tea.

To me, it's either a late lunch (if I haven't had lunch yet) or an early dinner (if I have had lunch already).

But back in the day when I worked midnight to dawn shifts; I would wake up in the evening and go to bed in the morning. I would call my 9:00PM meal breakfast because it was my first meal of the day. I would also eat "dinner" at 7:00AM because it was my third meal of the day.

Don't think too much about the nomenclature of a meal. What's matters is that you've got some hearty vittles in your tummy.

Queen Goob said...

How about snack between lunch and dinner making it “lusner”.

And for the record – the southerners down here call there meals breakfast, dinner, and supper in that order. Dinner??? At noon??? What’s up with that?!?!?


LUNNER IT IS!

Unknown said...

Hey you!
Ok...well no email as of yet! So, I will take it no set up with Lisa quite yet. Oh...oh! Maybe I can bring my camera to work and then snap a shot of her and then post her! OH YEA! Or maybe I will do that with everyone I am thinking you would love to meet!
Ok...Ok...I will leave you alone but just trying to spread the love my friend! *wicked grin*
And seems the girls up in here agree...let us set you up! *squealing with delight...oh this will be so great*

Ok really I am done...thanks doll for stopping by. I love to see you in my comment section and I think your pretty special too!
Hugs,
Robyn

just bob said...

whatigotsofar... and it was darn good too, even without the tea.

Queen Goob... breakfast, dinner, then supper? When do you folks down there eat lunch?

Robyn... don't put yourself through the extra effort. Save your valuable time and your co-workers' goodwill by not going down that road.

Suzanne said...

What? No wedding? Damn. I never get to dress up. :(