Norwegian midday
Dag means day. Formiddag, before-midday, is the period just before noon; ettermiddag, after-midday, the one right after. So clearly the point just at noon must be middag, midday, right?
Wrong! It’s called lunsj, for a meal, but it’s like Portuguese lanche and not English lunch—it’s a light meal. The full meal is taken about 17:00, and it’s called… middag.
Do not get me ſtarted on French for meals. Up to the free Littré dictionary one can doƿnload around and uſe ƿiþ ðe Stardict interface, one had « déjeuner » in the morning (breakfast, litteraly), « dîner » at noon, at ðe end of day « ſouper » (litteraly to have ſoup) and before going to bed, « cène », ƿhich is also ðe name of ðe fatidical Dominical meal just before His beiŋ arreſted and, eventually, crucified.
Noƿ, becauſe Pariſians ƿent to bed too late, ðey ſtarted haviŋ only coffee or ſomeþiŋ ðe like ƿhen ðey ƿoke up, calliŋ ðat « petit déjeuner »; at noon ðey ƿent hungry at laſt, and had « déjeuner », ƿhich makes no ſenſe becauſe faſt had already been broken; ðe had « dîner » at evening, perhaps « ſouper » before goiŋ to bed around or after midniȝt.
I ƿould not be ſo bad if oðer people beſides ðe Pariſians had not already loſt ðeir local dialect, ſuch as the Sƿiß franco‐provençal, and yet retained ðeir þriftier habits, continuiŋ haviŋ ðeir meals as our Lord intended ðem and calling ðem accordingly.