linguistics question

[wickedflea]

Do people all over the country use the phrase "all set"? Like instead of "Are you ready?" or "Is everything OK?" I mean, I've heard it before, I guess, but I notice it all the time since moving north. Especially in restaurants -- it seems that servers never ask if they can get you anything else or if you'd like your check; it's always "Are you all set?"

It's the ambiguity that gets me. For instance, when my mom was up here, a hostess at a restaurant told us that there would be a 5-10 minute wait for a seat. So that was fine, and we went to the bar to wait and get something to drink. As our drinks arrived -- no more than 2 min. since we'd spoken to the hostess -- she comes up and asks if we're all set. Yes, we tell her, and turn back around to the bar. A minute later, she comes back, puts her hand on my shoulder and asks, "Are you all set, Heller?" Um, yeah -- I'm fine, I have my fake beer, everything's good, thanks for asking. Then, a minute later, she comes back and says for the third time, "Are you all set?" YES!!! I -- oh, do you have a TABLE for us? Yes, she says, and leads us to our seats.

I guess it's a regional thing. I had no clue that "Are you all set?" was anything like equivalent to "Follow me to your table." I mean even a statement -- "OK, you're all set" -- would have given me some clue, but the question only confused me.

Sorry about that little exploration of minutiae. This is the kind of crap I notice. Pity me.

Comments

[bells2783.livejournal.com]

Are you all set seems perfectly logical to me...go here for why: http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=set

Yes, I like to look things up in the dictionary to prove a point ;)

[wickedflea.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I looked it up in the OED too, but I'm just not used to it being such an all-purpose phrase. And people use it as though it's self-evident, and it's not always -- witness the incident in the restaurant. That woman said it three times despite the fact that I obviously wasn't getting the point she was trying to convey. Of course, that's probably just because I'm dim. ;)

[wickedflea.livejournal.com]

I can't help wondering if hookers and drug dealers say it to people on the street. "Hey, you all set?" "Well, actually no -- what are you offering?" ;)

[4hour-ramona.livejournal.com]

i think its a very northern thing, and its drifted south. but then, so is the obligatory Answer That Means Nothing. for example - when i was at work and someone would approach the counter and plunk their stuff down, i'd ask "all set?" and they'd say "i think so." i never erally asked if they were ready to get rung out, and they never really answered me, but we interacted and we both knew. very northern. very passive. sigh.

[wickedflea.livejournal.com]

Hehe... funny how you notice little things like that. I get a kick out of the times when a cashier at a store asks me, "Anything else?" when there's nothing behind the counter but a cash register. Like, um, yeah -- run to the back and get me an 8-pack of socks, please... Of course, all they're really asking is, "Can I hit 'total' so we can be done with each other?"