Meal in awful, unChristian areas (5) Crossword Clue
Answer: LUNCH (5 letters)
The answer to the crossword clue "Meal in awful, unChristian areas" with 5 letters is "LUNCH".Lunch is a meal typically eaten in the middle of the day, often consisting of lighter foods compared to dinner. The clue plays on the word "awful" and "unChristian areas" by hinting at an anagram of "unChristian" that leads to the word "lunch," a common mealtime.
Why “Lunch” Fits
The clue asks for a single word (5 letters) meaning “meal.” The answer, LUNCH, fits perfectly:
- Meal: Lunch refers to a mid-day meal, typically eaten between breakfast and dinner, directly matching the clue’s definition.
- Direct match: With five letters, lunch fits the enumeration precisely.
- Precise meaning: The term specifies a common daily eating occasion, aligning exactly with “meal.”
Lunch is both a familiar and historically interesting word in modern English:
- Origin and usage: The term originated in the early 19th century as a shortened form of luncheon, itself derived from the earlier nuncheon (a light midday snack).
- Development: What began as an informal light meal between breakfast and dinner gradually evolved into the standard noontime meal in most English-speaking countries.
Contexts:
- Everyday use: “I had lunch with my friend at the café.”
- Formal setting: “The company hosted a business lunch.”
- Figurative expressions: “Out to lunch” (absent-minded or daydreaming).
Examples:
- “We stopped for lunch after a long morning of work.”
- “Lunch is served at noon.”
- “She packed sandwiches for the picnic lunch.”
In quick crosswords like “Meal in awful, unChristian areas (5),” solvers should pay attention to both definition and wordplay:
- Definition: The direct definition is “Meal,” leading to lunch.
- Wordplay: The phrase “awful, unChristian areas” indicates an anagram clue:
- The word “awful” acts as an anagram indicator (signaling disorder or rearrangement).
- The letters to be rearranged come from “UNCH” within unChristian, plus “L” (taken from “areas,” pointing to its initial).
- Thus, L + UNCH → LUNCH.
- This clue cleverly combines surface misdirection (“unChristian areas”) with a tidy, precise anagram structure — quality clue craftsmanship typical of daily crossword style.
