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fourses. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
fourses, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
fourses in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
fourses you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
See four and elevenses.
Noun
fourses (usually uncountable, plural fourses)
- (British, dialectal, historical) A light meal taken out to agricultural labourers in the afternoon.
1837 February, Anna Lee, “The Pinch of Salt”, in The Ladies’ Companion: A Monthly Magazine, Embracing Literature and the Arts, , volume VI, New York, N.Y.: Published by William W. Snowdon, →OCLC, page 162, column 2:The harvestmen who board in the farm-houses fare sumptuously during the month of harvest.— […] at eleven o'clock in the morning, and four in the afternoon, they have each a large light plum-bun, with a pint of ale a piece, carried into the field, to encourage them to work cheerfully. These extra refreshments they call, in their provincial language, their "elevenses" and "fourses." I could not at first imagine what the servants meant by talking of carrying the harvestmen their elevenses and fourses, till Mrs. Henley explained that it was a vulgar abbreviation of the four-o'clock and eleven o'clock meals.
Coordinate terms
Translations
light meal in the afternoon