Definition of "afternoon tea" [afternoon tea]

• A formal meal comprising light snacks, accompanied by tea. (noun)
• A small meal or snack eaten between lunch and dinner; a period of time set aside for this purpose, taken as a break from work or from a conference. (noun)

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• "It seemed that soon after Himself and his guests returned to the castle for a good Scots afternoon tea of hot scones and fortified cups, Dr Zoe Lang had made an unheralded return visit, bringing with her an expert in precious and semi-precious stones."
• "One after the other she put her feet down, made them plod up the ramp to the big house, to the drawing room where Fee sat, miraculously not working but talking to Anne Mueller instead, over an afternoon tea tray."
• "I might trace my steps from my bare room overlooking the lumber-yard to the satin drawing-rooms of the Back Bay, where I drank afternoon tea with gentle ladies whose hands were as delicate as their porcelain cups."