heavy supper

USAGE SUMMARY

'heavy supper' is correct and can be used in written English.
You might use it when referring to a large and especially filling meal that is eaten late in the evening. For example: "We had a heavy supper of steak, mashed potatoes, and salad before going to bed."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

— I do not generally eat anything for breakfast if I have a heavy supper the night before.

The New Yorker

Here is another of Williams and Straus's subjects Carmine Trotta, aged sixty, born in a village outside Salerno, married to a girl from his village, father of three, proprietor of a small grocery store, resident of an exclusively Italian neighborhood: Fri.—I do not generally eat anything for breakfast if I have a heavy supper the night before.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

To my eye, Honk is the sort of app you could imagine a DrawSomething-addicted lolcat cooking up after a particularly heavy fish-supper.

TechCrunch

A great quick supper.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

I cooked this on a hot and heavy day last summer at a supper club and it's now a meal I regularly dream of: the sweetness of the charred courgettes paired with the cool, calm and creamy burrata and the verdant hit from the lovage is pure summer.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

A good cold weather supper, hearty but not heavy.

The Guardian

From our doughy breakfast of crumpets and Marmite ("We couldn't even imagine how varied are the British toasts," says one unintentionally hilarious Polish website) to our fatty fish-and-chip supper, we revel in bland, heavy foods.

Independent

All three were Burns suppers, arcane evenings of ritual, poetry, and heavy food, normally held in late January, in honor of the birth of Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns.

The New Yorker

Over a rushed supper, Ettlinger, who is bald and speaks with a heavy German accent, sat with Dorothy Kahan, his companion of ten years, and talked about his upcoming trip to Europe.

The New Yorker

There's also 678 Korean BBQ, a meat-heavy haven where you get to sizzle up your own supper and Japanese restaurant Wagaya where you sit in booths and order from an iPad at your table.

Vice

Otherwise, stroll down rue des Marronniers and pick a suitable spot for supper – it's a far better bet than the tourist-heavy rue Mercière.

The Guardian - Travel

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider the connotations of "supper." It can sometimes imply a more informal or rustic meal compared to "dinner." Using "heavy dinner" may suit more formal contexts.

Common error

While grammatically correct, "heavy supper" can sound slightly old-fashioned. Overusing it may make your writing seem unnatural. Vary your vocabulary by using alternatives like "large dinner" or "filling evening meal" to maintain a natural tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "heavy supper" functions as a noun phrase where the adjective "heavy" modifies the noun "supper". According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is correct and can be used in written English to describe a substantial evening meal. This aligns with the examples found in Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "heavy supper" is a grammatically sound phrase used to describe a substantial evening meal. Though deemed correct by Ludwig AI, its frequency is rare, and it carries a neutral register, potentially sounding slightly old-fashioned to some. It is important to consider that while the phrase is valid, alternative and more current expressions, such as "substantial dinner" or "large evening meal", might be preferred in contemporary writing to avoid anachronistic undertones. The most authoritative sources that feature the phrase are news and media outlets like The New Yorker and The Guardian.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

substantial dinner

Uses 'dinner' as a synonym for 'supper' and 'substantial' to indicate a filling meal.

filling evening meal

Emphasizes the feeling of fullness after the meal, using 'evening meal' instead of 'supper'.

large evening meal

Replaces 'supper' with a more general term for an evening meal and emphasizes the quantity with 'large'.

large late-night meal

Specifies the meal is both large and consumed late at night.

rich evening meal

Focuses on the richness of the food rather than the quantity, still referring to an evening meal.

abundant dinner

Focuses on the plentiful nature of the dinner.

satisfying dinner

Highlights the satisfying nature of the dinner in terms of fullness and flavor.

late, large meal

Highlights both the late timing and the large quantity of the meal.

copious evening meal

Replaces 'large' with 'copious', another synonym for plentiful. Use 'evening meal' instead of 'supper'.

heavy evening repast

Replaces 'meal' with 'repast', maintaining the 'heavy' descriptor for the evening eating.

FAQs

What does "heavy supper" mean?

A "heavy supper" refers to a substantial and filling meal eaten in the evening. The term "heavy" suggests the meal is rich, large in quantity, or both.

Is "heavy supper" the same as "heavy dinner"?

While similar, "supper" often implies a more informal or rustic evening meal compared to "dinner". Therefore, while interchangeable in many contexts, "heavy dinner" might be more suitable for formal settings than "heavy supper".

What can I say instead of "heavy supper"?

You can use alternatives like "large evening meal", "substantial dinner", or "filling evening meal" depending on the context.

Is it grammatically correct to say "heavy supper"?

Yes, "heavy supper" is grammatically correct and understandable. However, consider your audience and the overall tone of your writing, as it can sound slightly dated in modern contexts.