' (, literally 'five to seven') is a French-language term for activities taking place after work and before returning home (sometimes using

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...

as an excuse), or having dinner (roughly between 5 and 7 p.m.). It may also be written as ' or ''5@7''.

In Quebec

Quebec French Quebec French (french: français québécois ), also known as Québécois French, is the predominant variety of the French language spoken in Canada. It is the dominant language of the province of Quebec, used in everyday communication, in educa ...

, the term stands for a social gathering. It may bring together friends or colleagues or may be organized around a specific event, such as a book launch or

vernissage A vernissage (from French, originally meaning " varnishing") is a preview of an art exhibition, which may be private, before the formal opening. If the vernissage is not open to the public, but only to invited guests, it is often called a ''pri ...

. Wine, beer, and cocktails are served along with finger foods and other

hors d'oeuvres An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the m ...

. Such a party held later may be named for the specific time (e.g. , meaning "six to eight"). A can be a formal gathering held in a wide range of public and private spaces, such as

art galleries An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

university campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

es, and places of work, but it is also commonly used more informally as a promotion in bars to attract patrons. The English equivalent might be a semi-formal "wine and cheese" gathering or an informal " happy hour".

In France

' originally referred to a time for a

tryst Tryst may refer to: Art and entertainment * ''Tryst'' (novel), a 1939 novel by Elswyth Thane * ''Tryst'' (play), a 2006 play by Karoline Leach * ''Tryst'' (album), a 2019 studio album by Kate Ceberano and Paul Grabowsky * "Tryst", a song by Joh ...

, and consequently is a

metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...

for a visit to one's mistress, an

extramarital affair An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of i ...

, and the mistress involved. It derived from the time of day French people would make such a visit. It is still commonly considered as the time of day to meet one's mistress or lover, and the term implies a sexual liaison (as opposed to the Québécois habit).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinq a sept Eating parties Culture of Quebec Drinking culture Canadian cuisine High society (social class) Upper class culture in Canada Upper class culture in Europe