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MichalS Posted 20 years ago
Vocabulary
set 'em up for....
Hi all,
Recently, I've seen in a movie a colloquial expression 'set 'em up for sb', like in 'Set 'em up for me and my friend'. It was spoken by a guy in a bar so my guess is that it'a a way of asking for 2 beers or shots but I'm not sure about that. Can you tell me what he meant?
Thanks a lot,
Michal
Recently, I've seen in a movie a colloquial expression 'set 'em up for sb', like in 'Set 'em up for me and my friend'. It was spoken by a guy in a bar so my guess is that it'a a way of asking for 2 beers or shots but I'm not sure about that. Can you tell me what he meant?
Thanks a lot,
Michal
Top answer
Yes. Set them up for ... = prepare drinks for...
- Yes.
- Set them up for ...
- = prepare drinks for...
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14 Answers
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Thanks!
How about the usage of the expression? Isn't it kind of rude to say that to a bartender you don't know or is there nothing wrong with that?
How about the usage of the expression? Isn't it kind of rude to say that to a bartender you don't know or is there nothing wrong with that?
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Thanks!
How about the usage of the expression? Isn't it kind of rude to say that to a bartender you don't know or is there nothing wrong with that?
How about the usage of the expression? Isn't it kind of rude to say that to a bartender you don't know or is there nothing wrong with that?
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It sounds like something John Wayne would say in an old Western.
I would agree that unless you have some kind of relationship with the bartender, you wouldn't make your drinks order that way.
(Or course, depending on how well you tip, you and the bartender can become fast friends, but still, not for the first order.)
I would agree that unless you have some kind of relationship with the bartender, you wouldn't make your drinks order that way.
(Or course, depending on how well you tip, you and the bartender can become fast friends, but still, not for the first order.)
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Hi,
I defer to MrM's obvious expertise on bar talk.
However, the phrase does sound to me like something out of an old movie. I've lived my whole life, with occasional visits to bars, without ever saying that. I don't even remember hearing it said.
Best wishes, Clive
I defer to MrM's obvious expertise on bar talk.
However, the phrase does sound to me like something out of an old movie. I've lived my whole life, with occasional visits to bars, without ever saying that. I don't even remember hearing it said.
Best wishes, Clive
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It must be pretty common "bar talk," nothing restrictive about its usage, as I find at least two people on Usenet whose signatures have it:
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in rec.motorcycles.harley
Signature:
Set drinks up for everyone
in alt.callahans
Signature:
Mike, set drinks up for these folks and put the bill on my tab.
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in rec.motorcycles.harley
Signature:
Set drinks up for everyone
in alt.callahans
Signature:
Mike, set drinks up for these folks and put the bill on my tab.
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Having also spent more than a little time in bars, during my misspent youth, I would have to agree that there is generally no need for formality when ordering drinks at a bar.
Bartenders are usually a fairly tolerent bunch, and will usually put up with quite a lot. I would, however, recommend leaving horses, motocycles, and orangutans outside.
Bartenders are usually a fairly tolerent bunch, and will usually put up with quite a lot. I would, however, recommend leaving horses, motocycles, and orangutans outside.
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How is the bartender supposed to know what you want when you simply say "set them up"?
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You need to get out more, GG-- a decent bartender remembers what everyone is drinking. To clarify my rather succinct earlier pronouncement, I agree that it sounds like a cowboy... but then, so do a lot of barflies after a few. As a regular habitue, I can attest that, at least in my little coterie of failed literati, we metamorphose into a series of genres-- cowboys, Ozzies (wot's yerz, mite?
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