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

[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. ;)