Crossword clues for fettle
fettle
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Fettle \Fet"tle\, v. t. [OE. & Prov. E., to fettle (in sense 1), fettle, n., order, repair, preparation, dress; prob. akin to E. fit. See Fit, a.]
To repair; to prepare; to put in order. [Prov. Eng.]
--Carlyle.(Metal.) To cover or line with a mixture of ore, cinders, etc., as the hearth of a puddling furnace.
Fettle \Fet"tle\, v. i.
To make preparations; to put things in order; to do trifling
business. [Prov. Eng.]
--Bp. Hall.
Fettle \Fet"tle\, n.
The act of fettling. [Prov. Eng.]
--Wright.
In fine fettle, in good spirits.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"condition, state, trim," c.1750, in a glossary of Lancashire dialect, from northern Middle English fettle (v.) "to make ready, fix, prepare, arrange" (late 14c.), which is of uncertain origin, perhaps akin to Old English fetian "to fetch" (see fetch (v.)); perhaps from Old English fetel "a girdle, belt," from Proto-Germanic *fatilaz (cognates: German fessel "fetter, chain," Old Norse fetill "strap, brace"), from PIE *ped- (2) "container" (see vat). Related: Fettler; fettling.
Wiktionary
n. 1 A state of proper physical condition; kilter or trim. 2 One's mental state; spirits. 3 sand used to line a furnace. 4 (context Geordie Cumbria English) A person's mood or state, often assuming the worst. 5 (context ceramics English) a seam line left by the meeting of mold pieces. 6 (context UK dialect English) The act of fettling. vb. 1 (context Northern England English) To sort out, to fix, to mend, to repair. 2 (context intransitive English) To make preparations; to put things in order; to do trifling business. 3 (context transitive English) To line the hearth of a furnace with sand prior to pouring molten metal. 4 (context transitive Geordie English) To be upset or in a bad mood. 5 In ceramics, to remove (as by sanding) the seam lines left by the meeting of two molds. 6 (context transitive archaic English) To prepare.
WordNet
n. a state of fitness and good health; "in fine fettle"
Usage examples of "fettle".
It added to my dispiritedness that my injuries put him in such fine fettle.
April, Young Marius in high fettle moved his army out of camp and marched through the ancient pylons at Sacriportus onto the Via Latina, heading southeast toward Campania and Sulla.
Spiggy Fettle would point out—in either his who-cares or his God-this-is-portentous voice, depending upon where he was in his joy-pain cycle—that the organizational structure of CM was mandated by Hobbs Transystem, and there wasn't much they could do about it.
By this time his brother-in-law was in fine fettle, so that whether Mr Hawkins kept his appointment or not, it seemed probable that the plan would be carried out.
He felt guilty for having left the big animal saddled and packed all night, but the morse seemed none the worse for it, and a roll in the little brook, which sent water cascading up the banks, put him in fine fettle.
As the last day of peace ticked on, Adolf Hitler was in fine fettle.