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Your recent caller stated that he has experienced confusion from servers while in a restaurant when they approach his table and ask if he needs anything else and he responds, "I'm all set." I am from Northern NY...about 2 hours north of Syracuse, where this gentleman was from, and I and many from this area use it all the time. To us, it means I'm finished or need nothing else.
When I was teaching “restaurant English†in a class in Japan, I was curious as to whether waitpersons truly used the expressions in the textbook, such as, “Are you ready to order?†On my next trip back to the U.S., I surreptitiously took notes while I was at restaurants and discovered that actual waitpersons hardly ever sound like those in the ESL textbooks. That was no surprise to me, but what fascinated me the most was the expression, “Are you all set?†(usually shortened to “You all set?â€). It was used both at the beginning of the meal, to check whether we were ready to order, and at the end of the meal, to check whether we were ready to have our plates cleared. [This was several years ago, so I don't remember which particular states I visited, but it probably included Wisconsin and Ohio.] I could easily imagine a whole conversation with both parties using variations of being “all set.“
Is there any relationship between "I'm all set." and the race starting formula, "Ready. Set. Go."?
In the formula, 'Set' is more than 'Ready', that is, it is a superlative of 'Ready'. With this reasoning, "I'm all set." would essentially mean, "I am more than 'ready'; let's 'go'" for whatever task is at hand.
Emmett
I was born and raised in Western Connecticut. I have lived in several other states, Florida, Ohio, Texas, and currently California. As far as I can remember, I have always used this expression.
Funny thing is, I can see it to mean both,
"I'm all set, you can take my plates away" (I'm done)
and "I'm all set" If I were asked if I had everything I needed, or "Do you want some more tea?"
I do vaguely remember being confused, when I said "I'm all set" - meaning ok, I'm done, take the plates.
Being left with the plates and not understanding why.
I am thinking it must have been when in lived in Texas, or possibly Ohio.
Welcome, Kim.
Your memory of saying "I'm all set" but having the server walk away leaving the plates reminds me of a similar communication problem for Americans in France. In America, when offered a second serving at a meal, a simple response of "Thank you" will result in more food; in France, "Merci" will leave your plate empty. Our "Thank you" alone tends to mean "Yes, thank you" whereas for the French, at least in this context and a few others, "Merci" alone tends to be a polite refusal. For them you need to say, "Oui, merci" to accept the offer.
This cultural difference had led to no small amount of confusion and hunger on the part of many a voracious American exchange student.
Just more data:
Where I live (west-central Indiana), "all set" usually indicates everything is OK in its present state: "I'm all set" would mean "I have everything I need to continue." (The meaning applies to other situations as well, not only restaurant scenarios.) Young people might say "I'm good" to mean the same thing.
When eating out, I don't remember anyone locally - server or diner - using "all set" to mean the end of the meal or to indicate there are plates to be removed from the table. It is common to hear "Are you finished?" or "We're finished," either of which communicates clearly.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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