Origin of the Phrase ‘Square Meal’

Today, we use the phrase ‘square meal’ to refer to a full, balanced meal. We might say, “Boy, I’m full. That was a square meal” or “I’m hungry, let’s find a place we can get a square meal.” It basically means a good and filling meal. One good meal is called a square meal but we also have the phrase, three square meals. This phrase is so common that a recent translation of the Bible changed “Give us this day our daily bread” to “Keep us alive with three square meals.” Less than poetic, for sure. Most origin stories of the phrase claim it came from British and American naval ships of the 1700 or 1800’s. There are two versions of this story.

Square Trencher or wooden plate from England, c. 1500 to 1700
Square Trencher from England, 1500 to 1700 Perhaps a replica, owing to lack of wear
Image by David Jackson via wikimedia

In a rush? Click here to skip to the key points summary at the end of the article. But don’t forget to bookmark and come back later or you’ll be missing some good information! 


Nautical Origin of ‘Square Meal’

The most common origin story claims that sailors aboard ship had their meals served to them on square wooden trays or plates, that they either carried back to their bunks, where the plates could be stored easily, or that were stored elsewhere. Since they only used these squares when they were getting a full meal, probably dinner, the phrase ‘a square meal’ came to be associated with a full and satisfying dinner.

Another variation on the naval story has it that plates would be set on wooden squares upon the galley table to keep them from sliding off, and that at some point the squares were permanently nailed down.

A similar story left out the naval connection, and simply claims that British people used to eat off of wooden squares with the middles hollowed out into a depression for gravy, and perhaps another for salt.

This supposedly dates back to medieval times where these wooden platters were called trenchers or simply boards. Travelers would carry around these squares to use any time they got a full meal, resulting in the same association as the naval stories, above.

Others, instead of attributing the phrase to naval ships, replace navy sailors with pirates. Here the idea is exactly the same: Pirates used to eat their meals off of wooden platters. This has also been claimed to be the origin of the phrase fair and square, since each pirate would receive his fair share of the sustenance.

Or, sometimes only the hardest workers would get a square meal meaning that when all received a full meal, they were getting a fair and square meal. Since the pirates were supposed to have turned their plates over to eat dessert on the other side, this is said to be the origin of clean your plate before you have dessert.

old historical wooden trencher or "square plate"
Another Trencher | Image by David Jackson via Wikipedia

It is quite likely that both naval and pirate ships used similar plates, as wood makes sense aboard a ship, being unbreakable (although pewter may have replaced wood at some point), and the square shape can be more efficiently stored away.

There are many primitive examples of these wooden plates or trenchers, some of which are oblong but squarish bowls, being more shallow or deeper, others of which are flat squares of wood with a rounder depression turned into the middle and another smaller hole in the corner, supposedly for salt.

These may have been made with beech, sycamore, or maple. Before perhaps 1500, these “trenchers” would have been made of large pieces of stale bread.

old magic yeast bread advertisment
Old Magic Yeast Bread advertisment:
Give us this day our daily bread and keep us alive with three square meals. Get it, square meals?

One explanation, which is more of a theory than any serious investigation into the etymology of the phrase, supposed that the phrase came about because of the association of square with right, since a square’s angles are right angles.

However, the word square is definitely associated with things that are right and proper. Not only fair and square from above but to square away, which means to “take care of things and make them right,” and square deal which is a fair and proper deal. Also, to be square with someone is to be even with him and to square up is to pay a debt.

Key Points Summary for “Origin of the Phrase Square Meal”

  • Meaning of the Phrase ‘Square Meal’
    • We use the phrase ‘square meal’ to refer to a full, balanced meal.
  • Sentence Examples Using ‘Square Meal’
    • “Boy, I’m full. That was a square meal”
    • “I’m hungry, let’s find a place we can get a square meal.”
  • Historical Origins of the Term
    • Most origin stories of the phrase claim it came from British and American naval ships of the 1700s or 1800s. There are two versions of this story:
      • Sailors ate meals on square wooden plates that were only used when the sailors were getting a full meal, leading to the phrase being associated with a full and satisfying dinner.
      • Another story claims that plates would be set on wooden squares on the galley table to keep them from sliding off, and that at some point the squares were permanently nailed down.
  • General British Origin
    • British people used to eat off of wooden squares with the middles hollowed out into a depression for gravy, and perhaps another for salt.
    • Travelers would carry around these “trenchers” or “boards” to use any time they got a full meal, resulting in the same associations as above.
  • Pirate Origin
    • This origin story is the same as the naval origin, except it replaces sailors with pirates.
    • This has been claimed to be the origin of the phrase fair and square, since each pirate would receive his fair share of the sustenance.
    • An alternative explanation is that only the hardest workers would get a full meal and so were receiving a fair and square meal.
    • Pirates are claimed to have turned their plates over to eat dessert on the other side, the supposed origin of clean your plate before you have dessert.
  • A More General Theory
    • The phrase came about because of the association of square with right, since a square’s angles are right angles.
    • There are several other associations of the word square with things that are right and proper, which may lend credence to this theory.

More Food Idioms

bread with fronds of wheat

Origin of “Man Does Not Live By Bread Alone”

Today, when we say “man does not live by bread alone”, we simply mean that humans need more than the basic necessities to live, whatever...

Origin of “Hair of the Dog” for a Hangover Cure

It’s Sunday morning, or, rather, afternoon. Saturday night is a blur, but you do know that you drank more than your fair share. You know...

On the False Hindu Origin of “Butter Someone Up”

A quick Google search of the origin of the idiom ‘butter someone up’ provides a colorful but unlikely answer. It is claimed that the idea...
Gaelic and English sign

History Channel Show “America’s Secret Slang” Uses Poor Source for Claims on Irish Origins of American Slang

While watching a recent episode of the History Channel show “America’s Secret Slang” I found myself questioning more than usual some of the assertions being...

Does the ‘Apple of Discord’ Come from Adam and Eve in the Bible?

The idiom “apple of discord” refers to anything that causes dispute or contention. When someone “throws in an apple of discord”, they are doing something...
bread and butter

Butter Up! 7 Butter Expressions

So Many Butter Idioms and Expressions! Have you ever realized how important butter is? Cream cheese may think it is the cat’s meow, but to...
sliced and whole cucumbers

Are Cucumbers Really Cold? Why Do We Say Cool as a Cucumber?

As idioms go, “Cool as a cucumber” is not the most transparent expression. What do cucumbers have to do with coolness or being cold in...
free bar snacks

‘There’s No Such Thing As a Free Lunch’ Origin

When we say ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch,’ we mean to express that there are few things in life that are truly...