proverb · Words worth keeping
After dinner sit awhile, after supper walk a mile.
After dinner sit awhile, after supper walk a mile.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying assigns rest after dinner and a walk after supper. Its paired instruction gives two meals different follow-up activities.
What the words are saying
Sit awhile and walk a mile contrast stillness with movement, joined by a memorable measure. The text does not explain what counts as dinner or supper in its setting or verify either instruction. A useful reading identifies the pattern without treating the rhyme as exercise or medical guidance. Different circumstances cannot be settled by its neat contrast.
Everyday example
A reader records the two activities as part of the saying’s structure rather than assuming they are a routine suited to everyone.
When to use it
Use it to discuss a contrasted after-meal rule as historical lore.
What it does not mean
No particular health benefit, distance or routine is independently verified here.
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 425 · Dinner
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English