Meaning & use
English tuck
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountableBritishold-fashioned
Sweet foods and snacks, especially those eaten by schoolchildren in Britain in the past.
Grammar: Uncountable: you say 'some tuck' or 'a bit of tuck', not 'a tuck' in this sense.
Patterns
- buy some tuck
- a tuck shop
In the old stories, the boys spent their pocket money on English tuck.
The school had a small shop that sold English tuck at break time.
She remembered the smell of English tuck in the school corridor.
Common combinations
- a tuck shop
- The tuck shop opens at morning break.
- buy tuck
- They used to buy tuck before the bus home.
- English tuck
- The museum display included old packets of English tuck.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sweets
- This is the modern British word for sugar-based treats, while 'tuck' is old-fashioned and can include other snacks.
- candy
- This is the American word for sweets; it does not fit British school settings.
Word family
- tuck shop noun
- A small shop, often in a school, that sells snacks and sweets.
Commonly confused: English tuck or tuck?
English tuck vs tuck
The verb 'tuck' means to push cloth or paper into a narrow space, as in 'tuck your shirt in'. The noun 'tuck' for food is a different, old-fashioned use.
Practice
In old British school stories, what did 'English tuck' most likely mean?
Choose one answer.
'Tuck' in this old-fashioned British use refers to snacks and sweets, often sold at a school tuck shop. It is not a game, a uniform, or homework.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “English tuck”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.