elevenses
[ ih-lev-uh n-ziz ]
/ ɪˈlɛv ən zɪz /
noun British.
(usually used with a plural verb) a midmorning break for refreshments.
the refreshments taken.
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What is the literal meaning of “eleven?”What does the number eleven mean? And what unusual words and expressions incorporate eleven? The word derives from the Old English endleofan, which means “one left,” as in “one left over ten.” This literal sense is found in the colloquial expression “the eleventh hour,” which is used to talk about doing something at the last possible moment. For example, “In the eleventh hour, Sophie switched the caterer …
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Origin of elevenses
1860–65; orig. dial.; doubly pluralized form of eleven, perhaps as ellipsis of eleven hours eleven o'clock
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
elevenses
/ (ɪˈlɛvənzɪz) /
pl n
(sometimes functioning as singular) British informal a light snack, usually with tea or coffee, taken mid-morning
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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