fettle

English

Etymology

Old English fetel.

Pronunciation

• 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. (Geordie, 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.

Translations

state of proper physical condition; kilter or trim

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

one's mental state; spirits

• 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

Derived terms

• in fine fettle

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, Geordie) 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...

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, ausfüllen (de)

to remove seam lines left by the meeting of two molds

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

Derived terms

• fettler
• fettling

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 0946928118
• 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]