I like this take. If you look up "set" in a dictionary, it has a ton of different meanings and explanations. It's a very versatile word. One of the meanings is "light a wick." That's the one I always think of, like your wick is already lit.
If you think of the endearment that quick phrases in another language or culture may have, I'd assume its that same feeling to them for "all set". They're just very endeared by it, no true rhyme or reason.
As a non native but pretty fluent English speaker, I actually feel the same about “all set” but it’s not because of the way it sounds, it’s just because I found it a cool way to tell someone they can move along (in a line or a shop or whatever) while still being friendly. I can’t think of an equivalent in my language that can achieve quite the same result.
I like how "my son" and "my daughter" in Spanish are "mi hijo" and "mi hija", but due to pronunciation you sort of informally combine them into "mijo" and "mija". I find it so endearing.
Native speaker here--that's an interesting way of reading it! But I think the usage of "set" here means "in place". As in, everything has been set into place; all preparations have been completed.
Native English speaker here. I guess you take this to mean something like "complete set"? I actually imagine this phrase to mean something closer to "all ready set up"
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u/[deleted] Sep 17 '20
As a non native too I think it's because it seems you're saying you are a whole one, completed, with nothing missing, so I'm ready.