american supper

[min.gosling]

Where does the phrase american supper come from?

[shaneystar2]

Some info here
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/4/mes sages/1342.html

[min.gosling]

Thanks, shaneystar. I had seen that in my search, but it was all I could find and was more a definition than an explanation about where the term came from. As an American living in England, I find the term "American Supper" (to describe what we Americans call a "potluck") to be such an odd phrase.

Thanks again.

[shaneystar2]

I have never heard of this term .We use "potluck" here as a term for a sort of makeshift meal ..leftovers or whatever we can find in the fridge ! I quite agree ..it is an odd term and a search through some of my dictionaries comes up zilch as well.
Perhaps our good friend Clanad in America will be along later or Quizmonster ,our fountain of knowledge, with a better explanation.

[Quizmonster]

The earliest recorded use of the phrase 'American supper' dates back only to the 1920s. At that time, it meant a social function where guests brought food and drink with a view to auctioning/selling it to other guests, specifically to raise funds for a particular cause. In other words, the food could perhaps be taken away rather than consumed there, which is what I imagine happens at a 'potluck' meal.
As to why 'American', I guess the concept originated in the USA, where there is probably more of a tradition of organised events in communities...what with apple bees, quilting bees and so on in past times. (They are constantly having "town meetings" in The Simpsons, for example, even today.)

[min.gosling]

Thanks, Quizmonster. The food is generally not taken away at a potluck, but consumed together as a group. I think you're probably right about the answer. That was what I had guessed, but it's not a term I had ever heard before moving to England so I was curious.

Apple bees??

[BBWCHATT]

lol Quizmonster - comparing life in the USA on information from "The Simpsons" - toooo funny!!!

[Quizmonster]

Min, 'apple bees' - like spelling bees, quilting bees etc - were occasions when a social group came together to participate in an activity to entertain or achieve some end. Apple bees happened in farming/orchard communities and involved everyone working together to get the apple-harvest in on time...ie they all moved from farm to farm, helping each other.

BBW, are you trying to tell me that The Simpsons isn't a documentary programme?

[rojash]

I have to say that I'd never heard of an "English Muffin" until McDonald's started selling them.