proverb · Words worth keeping
After dinner rest a while, after supper walk a mile.
After dinner rest a while, after supper walk a mile.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The rhyme assigns rest to the period after dinner and a mile’s walk to the period after supper. It presents a memorable contrast in post-meal activity.
What the words are saying
The paired meals and activities make the instruction easy to remember. The wording does not define meal sizes, a person’s needs or evidence for the rule. It can be discussed as a routine expressed in verse without turning the supplied digestion explanation into verified health guidance.
Everyday example
A reader recognises the routine in the rhyme without using it to decide what activity is appropriate after a meal.
When to use it
Use it to explain a remembered routine rather than prescribe one.
What it does not mean
No digestive benefit, exercise requirement or safe distance is verified.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 49; PDF page 11
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.