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morning piece


noun the mid-morning break in primary school, and the snack eaten at that break.

Editor's comments: Thank you everyone for the overwhelming response in the negative about this term. Apparently it is either nonexistent or at least exceedingly rare in Victoria. It is a term used in Scottish English, and so perhaps was heard being used by some canny Scot, or descendant thereof, in Victoria.

Contributor's comments: Never heard of "Morning Piece" it was always "Recess" or "Recess Time".

Contributor's comments: Never heard this. Always referred to as Morning Play, and Afternoon Play, with Lunch in between.

Contributor's comments: I was born and bred in Melbourne and have lived here most of my life. I have never heard this expression before. At primary school we would have referred to "play time" and "play lunch".

Contributor's comments: [WA informant] Never heard of morning piece, always playlunch, morning play, morning recess.

Contributor's comments: Been teaching for 25 years in South Australian schools and never have I heard, said or read "Morning Piece". It is was and always will be "recess" (pronounced reSESS, with the emphasis firmly on the second syllable).

Contributor's comments: Never heard of this in Lonny.

Contributor's comments: Never heard this term used in SA in 51 years. Here the morning & afternoon break at school is always called recess time, & recess is eaten during the morning recess (there was never any left to eat in the afternoon). My sister in law, a teacher, worked at a school in Brisbane & was amused to find the terms Little Lunch (morning recess) and Big Lunch (actual lunch break) used there.

Contributor's comments: When my daughter was in school I am sure they never used this expression - the kids called the morning and afternoon recess snack "play lunch" because they ate it at play time.

Contributor's comments: Never heard of "morning piece". At the Catholic primary school I attended up to Grade 4, it was "playtime". At the State School (Grades 5 and 6), it was "recess".

Contributor's comments: In Qld, morning recess at school was called "little lunch"

Contributor's comments: Lived and worked in schools for ever and I've never heard of Morning piece always 'play time' or 'recess'

Contributor's comments: Never heard of 'morning piece'. I have taught in primary schools in Melbourne for 30 years. Originally called 'playlunch' now called 'snack'.

Contributor's comments: Regarding the term "morning piece" I just wanted to add that I've never heard of it either. Perhaps it was a term used more in country areas rather than metropolitan where I grew up!

Contributor's comments: [ACT informant] I always knew that time of day to be "little lunch".

Contributor's comments: [Perth informant] Never heard this at school. It was always morning and afternoon recess. If you had food for the morning break, it was 'playlunch'.

Contributor's comments: I grew up in Ballarat in the 1960's, then spent a number of years teaching in Melbourne. I've never heard of the term morning piece - it was always either playtime (and play lunch) or recess. Some teacher's I know called it 'little lunch' but this was very uncommon.

Contributor's comments: I have never heard of morning piece, it was always recess or morning play. Perhaps this is specific to particular schools?

Contributor's comments: It seems that this word could have originally been a literal translation of the German word for breakfast, "Frühstück," which translates litera lly to "early piece."

Contributor's comments: I grew up in Ballarat and it was alway play lunch, BUT my grandmother always referred to a piece and some bread and jam, I have never heard this expression used by anyone else - perhaps there is a connection.