Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[strielka.]

Dear Teachers,

what does 'cuppa' mean?
Is that abbreviation of 'cup of tea' ? because I've seen sentence: "Time for a nice hot cuppa."

May I say 'cuppa tea' too?

thanks in advance

[bud]

It's a slang contraction for "cup of" (without "tea"). To say, "Time for a nice hot cuppa," is a very casual way to say it's time for a hot cup of something (tea, coffee, soup, cocoa...).

Yes, you may say it, but don't write it unless you're writing a story and it is part of the dialog. I don't know about other countries, but in the U.S. it is very common to speak using slang contractions, especially in casual situations.

[strielka.]

Now I got it, thanks bud.