fettle

English

Etymology

From Middle English fetlen (“to ready, fix, arrange, prepare”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old English fetian (“to fetch”) or from Old English fetel (“belt, girdle”). Compare Old English ġefetelsod (“provided with a belt; trimmed, polished, ornamented”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛtəl/
• Rhymes: -ɛtəl

Noun

fettle (plural fettles)

1. A state of proper physical condition; kilter or trim.
2. One's mental state; spirits.
3. Sand used to line a furnace.
4. (Tyneside, Cumbria) A person's mood or state, often assuming the worst.

   What's yer fettle marra?

5. (ceramics) a seam line left by the meeting of mold pieces.
6. (Britain, dialect) The act of fettling.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Wright to this entry?)

Usage notes

Outside of dialects, this term is a fossil, found only in the phrase in fine fettle.

Derived terms

• in fine fettle

Translations

state of proper physical condition; kilter or trim

• Bulgarian: форма (bg) f (forma)
• Finnish: kunto (fi), veto (fi)

• German: Zustand (de) m, Form (de) f, Einklang (de) m

one's mental state; spirits

• Bulgarian: състояние (bg) n (sǎstojanie)
• Finnish: kunto (fi)

• German: Zustand (de) m, Geisteszustand (de) m, Verfassung (de) f

sand to line a furnace

• German: Formsand m

a person's mood or state, often assuming the worst

• German: Zustand (de) m

seam line left by the meeting of mold pieces

• German: Grat (de) m

Verb

fettle (third-person singular simple present fettles, present participle fettling, simple past and past participle fettled)

1. (Northern England) To sort out, to fix, to mend, to repair.
   • 1858 Thomas Carlyle, History of Friedrich II of Prussia

     He is getting his saddle altered: fettling about this and that; does not consider what danger he is in.

   • 1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia, Chapter VI, p. 83, [1]

     For some time after the train had gone Oscar stood on the track conversing with members of the fettling gang […]

2. (intransitive) To make preparations; to put things in order; to do trifling business.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bishop Hall to this entry?)

3. (transitive) To line the hearth of a furnace with sand prior to pouring molten metal.
4. (reflexive, Tyneside) To be upset or in a bad mood.

   Divint fettle yersel ower that!

5. In ceramics, to remove (as by sanding) the seam lines left by the meeting of two molds.
6. (transitive, archaic) To prepare.
   • 1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet:

     But fettle your fine joints 'gainst Thursday next...

Derived terms

• fettler
• fettling

Translations

to sort out, fix, mend or repair

• German: richten (de), reparieren (de), flicken (de)

to make preparations, put things in order or do trifling business

• German: ordnen (de), vorbereiten (de), arrangieren (de), prötteln

to line the hearth of a furnace with sand

• German: auskleiden (de), ausfüllen (de)

to remove seam lines left by the meeting of two molds

• German: beschroten, beschneiden (de), putzen (de)

See also

• fash

References

• fettle in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• Newcastle 1970s, Scott Dobson and Dick Irwin, [2]
• The New Geordie Dictionary, Frank Graham, 1987, →ISBN
• Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4
• A List of words and phrases in everyday use by the natives of Hetton-le-Hole in the County of Durham, F.M.T.Palgrave, English Dialect Society vol.74, 1896, [3]
• Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977[4]