high tea
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A meal served about the usual teatime which includes besides tea, fish, cold meats, pastry, etc. It is common in Scotland and the North of England, and generally in agricultural communities.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “high tea” mean?
A meal served about the usual teatime which includes besides tea, fish, cold meats, pastry, etc. It is common in Scotland and the North of England, and generally in agricultural communities.
Is “high tea” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.