tea and medals

noun

The rewards and relaxation that follow successful completion of an undertaking.

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Meanings

nountea and medals pl (plural only)
  1. humorouspluralplural onlyThe rewards and relaxation that follow successful completion of an undertaking.

    “Come on then guys, home to England for tea and medals.”

    2002, Allen Murray, Skytrucker, page 262
    1 more example

    What happens is we wait till he goes home, fall in behind, tap him on the shoulder, pop him in a bag, home for tea and medals. Alright?

    2010, Thomas Leveritt, The Exchange-Rate Between Love and Money, page 197

Origin

Apparently originated in the 1989 British TV comedy series Blackadder Goes Forth: "Back home in time for tea and medals".

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tea and medals. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tea%20and%20medals

MLA

“tea and medals.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tea%20and%20medals. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tea and medals,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tea%20and%20medals.

Source: tea and medals on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.