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hearty square meal

hearty square meal

2.6
A large filling meal that gives you energy
  • noun
translation icon : comida abundante
  • After hiking all morning, we were ready for a hearty square meal at the lodge.

Examples

  • She prepared a hearty square meal for her family every Sunday.

  • Nothing beats a hearty square meal to lift your spirits on a cold day.

  • After a long hike, I enjoyed a hearty square meal.

  • We always have a hearty square meal for dinner on Sundays.

  • After hiking all morning, we were ready for a hearty square meal at the lodge.

  • Nothing beats a hearty square meal to lift your spirits on a cold day.

  • She prepared a hearty square meal for her family every Sunday.

Synonyms

square meal
vshearty square meal
4 2.2

A full, filling meal that gives enough energy and nutrition

is more about size and satisfaction than balanced or complete nutrition
hearty meal
vshearty square meal
2 1.6

A large filling meal that makes you feel full and warm

is identical in meaning but differs only in wording or style
hearty tucker
vshearty square meal
  • UK
8.9

A large warm meal that fills you up

is similar but lacks the after exertion and regional context

Antonyms

471 1.0

Food you eat between meals, like fruit or chips

Food that is easy to digest and avoids fried or spicy foods for people recovering from illness

How Filling

to feast
31 2.3
hearty square meal
2.6
square meal
4 2.2
snack
471 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

hearty + square + meal

Each constituent directly contributes to the overall sense: 'hearty' = nourishing/satisfying, 'square' (as in 'square meal') = substantial/filling, and 'meal' = an eating occasion. A B1 learner who knows those word meanings would readily infer 'a large, nourishing, satisfying meal', so the phrase is compositional and transparent.

Etymology

Hearty square meal comes from the older phrase square meal, which one popular story says meant a solid, full plate of food—picture a square plate piled high. Adding hearty gives the image of warm, strong food that really fills you up, so it means 'a meal that is large, nourishing, and satisfying'.