meal deal
/miːl diːl/
Very CommonA supermarket lunch combo: sandwich, snack, and drink for a fixed price.
Often used as a shorthand for living frugally or the bare minimum of acceptable lunch. Saying you had a meal deal can signal either contentment or defeat.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | spent my entire lunch break debating whether the pasta salad counts as a meal deal upgrade | Overthinking the meal deal selection, a very relatable British moment. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | just a meal deal and a cry in the work toilets, living the dream | Expressing mild workplace despair with dark humour. | x, 2024 |
| 03 | boots meal deal hits different when you're hungover ngl | The Boots meal deal is particularly satisfying as a hangover cure. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 04 | meal deal tier list when? tesco vs sainsburys vs boots needs settling | Calling for a definitive ranking of supermarket meal deals. | reddit, 2023 |
Use it when
- Describing a supermarket sandwich-snack-drink combo lunch.
- Signalling you are eating cheaply or on autopilot.
- Bonding over shared British working-life experiences.
- Complaining about or celebrating what you picked.
Do not use it when
- You mean any discounted food offer.
- You are describing a full restaurant deal.
Variations and related forms
Origin and context
UK supermarket promotion format that became culturally embedded. Boots introduced one of the most famous versions in the 1980s. The phrase entered everyday British slang as shorthand for budget office lunch culture.
- First seen
- 1980s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/meal-dealUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0