tiffin
/ˈtɪfɪn
/noun [mass noun]
1 dated or Indian A snack or light meal: tiffin has been ready for some time [count noun]: I made sure they have not forgotten their tiffins [as modifier]: a tiffin carrier...
- She brought them their tiffin in small aluminium boxes.
- Carry tiffin with you, eat at a place with a table, if you really must.
- For a rice eater like me, cafeteria tiffin in the morning comes nowhere close to filling.
2chiefly British A cake or dessert made with crushed biscuits, golden syrup, and chocolate, and chilled in a fridge: the tiffin was a decadent chocolatey treat...
- We went to some place for tea and cakes near Newby Bridge whose name I just can't remember, but if you find it, have the tiffin.
- Make the tiffin the night before and pop it in the freezer.
- They were able to choose from an amazing array of home-made cakes, including rum and raisin tiffin.
Origin
Early 19th century: apparently from dialect tiffing 'sipping', of unknown origin.