dinner and supper

[AMNieto]

I am reading a book and at the page one states that follows: "I had for dinner, or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which was very good but thirsty". What is diference in meaning with supper and dinner?

[Mister Micawber]

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Some people say 'supper' and some say 'dinner' for the evening meal. There are long discussions over this trivial topic on the internet, e.g. at various forums. Here's ONE OF THEM.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[AMNieto]

Thank you very much. I have read the explanation written by Gareth Rees (you linked it) and I find it fantastic.

[Molly]

[Ralf]

[Molly]

[TheCormac]

Dinner is the main meal of the day, no matter when it comes. Supper is a light meal taken in the evening, as lunch (or luncheon) is a light meal taken at midday.

These days most people work away from home and have a light meal (lunch) at midday and then the principal meal in the evening (dinner). But some cultures, and some people have either more leisure or a different work pattern and have the big meal at midday (dinner) and then a light meal in the evening.

You can also have all three if you eat often enough. For instance, it is not at all unusual to meet people who have a light lunch at midday, followed by a dinner in the early evening, and a supper later after some evening activity.

Other meals are breakfast - a morning meal, tea - a mid-afternoon to early evening light meal. There is also brunch, essentially a late breakfast that takes the place of lunch as well.

Despite these dictionary differences, in some places they still holdover local usage from earlier work patterns - such as calling the midday meal dinner and the evening meal supper regardless of size (as sometimes happens in the American South) or referring to supper as tea, as is still occasionally found in traditionally working class parts of the UK.