SUPPER

I'm southern and proud of it.  I was born in West Texas and lived most of my life listening to my very southern parents, aunts, uncles and many other relatives.  For years, I tried diligently to masque my accent and southern drawl.  I think being an English teacher made me think I should speak everything in a very specific and "proper" way.  I oftentimes cringed when I heard or read certain grammar and spelling inaccuracies.  To some extent, I still do.  However I have lightened up and really embraced my drawl.  I don't fight it anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm not still silently correcting your grammar 🤣.  My girls lovingly tease me often about my accent and certain word choices.  It's all in fun, except for one word choice which seems to drive them nuts:  SUPPER!  This word choice became intentional for me a few years ago.  I remember my mama and grandmother always using it to mean the evening meal.  DINNER was used for the afternoon meal.  For years, the word "SUPPER" would try to roll off my tongue; but I avoided it.  It just didn't seem "proper" but my views have changed.  A few weeks ago, I drove back to my roots to attend a funeral for my great uncle.  After the service, my family gathered at my second cousin's home for fellowship and an afternoon meal.  We told childhood stories, reminisced, laughed, talked about how we should get together more often and even tentatively planned our next reunion.  When the food arrived, I heard someone say; "Dinner" had arrived; and I smiled to myself thinking of my grandmother and mother and how much they would have enjoyed this time with their family.   The word, "supper", is more than just an intentional word choice to annoy my girls (although it does that too); it's a sweet reminder of from where and from whom I came.

And just for the record:

Dinner and supper are generally synonymous when referring to a meal in the evening. However, dinner can be considered by some to be a somewhat more formal word. In chiefly British English, supper can also refer to a light meal or snack that is eaten late in the evening.

What do you call the meal that you eat at the end of the day? Do you call it dinner or supper? Your answer might depend on where you grew up or how old you are. The words have shifted in meaning as dining habits have changed.