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Informal poll;

If I were to say to you "let us get afternoon tea?" what would you think I meant by that? Er, I mean to say 'what do you think afternoon tea is, practically speaking' not 'what do you think this means about my relationship with you'. English, the language of unclearness.

From:

lnr.livejournal.com

That particular phrase would mean at the very least a cup of tea and a scone with jam and cream, but could easily also include a full cakes/tea/sandwiches affair. Those who don't like tea can substitute coffee or hot chocolate, but even I'll have proper tea for afternoon tea.

In the department it would just be a cup of tea :)

If I asked "What shall we have for tea?" though I'd be talking about the evening meal sometimes also called dinner or supper. And so tea-time can be either 3ish (the time you'd normally have afternoon tea) or 6-8pm depending on context.

From:

nickys

Sandwiches, cake and tea.

From:

artela

Afternoon tea is:
Tea, with milk etc, served from a teapot into china cups
Sandwiches
Cakes / Petit Fours
Scones & Jam & Cream

From:

wildeabandon

I think afternoon tea is a glass of champagne, a pot of tea, sandwiches with the crusts cut off, scones with clotted cream and strawberries, and little cakes. I only really encounter it in posh hotels.

From:

naath

Having never afforded the champagne I'm not sure I think it complements the tea. Is it nice?

From:

wildeabandon

I think champagne complements everything ;>

But I generally drink it before the tea.

From:

naath

Everything?

(Apparently nice red wine "goes with everything" but it turns out that this is not actually true of peanut butter; but I am struggling to think of a food with which champagne would emphatically not go... although 'my budget' and champagne get along rather less well)

From:

ewx

Other way round...

From:

wildeabandon

*grin* I may not be being entirely serious. I don't think there's any food that champagne would go badly with per se, but I think that most strong flavours would overpower champagne, so it would be a bit of a waste.

From:

naath

Ah yes. Of course Cucumber sandwiches are not known for their overpowering flavour, clearly champagne must go very well with them.

From:

ewx

Tea or coffee, perhaps with biscuits and/or cake. Things like that. Generally happens mid afternoon; say, usually but not always after 1500 and before 1700.

From:

emperor

I think a cup of tea, and some light food of some sort (scones+cream+jam would be obvious)

From:

simont.livejournal.com

I'd guess you meant something more than just a cup of tea, on the basis that you'd more likely just have said "a cup of tea" if you'd meant that. So, tea plus something else, be it biscuits, scones, cucumber sandwiches or whatever. But which of those? No idea.

Er, I mean to say 'what do you think afternoon tea is, practically speaking' not 'what do you think this means about my relationship with you'.

Oddly enough, my first thought was neither of those, and had to do with the distinction between "getting" and "having" afternoon tea, the former being the chore of nipping out to the shop to acquire the ingredients and the latter being the actual act of consumption...

From:

kludge

Like most things people say, it would depend on the context. If you were next to a kettle, I'd assume you were being fanciful and were about to make some cups of tea. If you were passing a tea room, then I'd guess tea and cakes.

From:

gipsy_dreamer

Afternoon tea?

Tea with biscuits unless I decide that wine is preferable.

Isn't afternoon tea something only posh people do anyway? I just eat when I'm hungry and don't call it anything other than food :)

From:

naath

:-)

In my own house I don't feel the need to call it anything other than food - but if the plan were to go and eat at a food-serving-place then it's, um, important that all the people discussing the proposed outing are on the same page wrt the terms being used in the discussion.

From:

rochvelleth

Ooh, hello on Dreamwidth :)

I take afternoon tea to mean tea (or substitute for me because I don't drink tea) served about 3pm or 3.30pm, usually with cake.

From:

feanelwa

Drinking tea and eating cake while chatting, though somebody could eat a sandwich if they were particularly hungry and it wouldn't disqualify it from being afternoon tea.

From:

chess

Scones, or possibly cake, and probably a pot of tea (although water for me, obviously), probably in some kind of tea room, coffee shop or small cafe. Generally eaten in the time between the meal in the middle of the day and the evening meal.

From:

lnr.livejournal.com

On another note my grandma would never dream of getting you a cup of tea without offering at the very least chocolate biscuits and a packet of crisps with it, and preferably cake.

From:

naath

Awwww, your grandma wins. Although I think that if I had cake with every cup of tea I would eat too much cake.

From:

artela

Afternoon Tea is one of a set of small meals to be had throughout the day...
Breakfast
Elevensees
Lunch
Afternoon Tea
Dinner
Supper

and, actually, if we did all eat like that, which equates to smaller quantities "grazed" on through the day we'd probably all be fitter for it :-)

From:

holyschist

Afternoon tea: something that occurs after lunch (or possibly instead of lunch), involving tea and pastries and/or tiny delicious sandwiches. Difficult to come by in the U.S.