Word.ws English Dictionary

set fair

set fair verb: to provide a smooth, finished surface on plaster after roughing in.

Verb

set fair (third-person singular simple present sets fair, present participle setting fair, simple past and past participle set fair)

  1. To provide a smooth, finished surface on plaster after roughing in.
    • The ceilings of the upper story to be lathed, plastered, and set fair; and the walls of the same, with those of the living rooms, to be rendered and set fair.1849, Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England
    • The cavities or cells run horizontally, and the blocks are dovetailed together at the joints, and united with strong-guaged plaster of Paris and lime putty, or air-slacked lime. They are set fair, and dressed with scrapers, forming a surface suitable either for paint or paper.1855, The Practical Mechanic's Journal - Volumes 7-8, page 109
  2. To become favorable.
    • The wind sets fair for news to go to Ireland, But none returns.1595, Shakespeare, King Richard II
    • Public opinion is setting fair in the direction of utilizing the many miles of unproductive waste, and has also recognized the present drawbacks to production, consequent upon the restrictions tenant-farmers labour under at the present time.1874, “Unexhausted Improvements”, in The Country Gentleman's Magazine, volume 2, page 587
  3. To develop weather that is clear and pleasant.
    • The day set fair without a breath of wind.2007, M. C. Beaton, Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate, →ISBN, page 151
    • The clouds on the mountains had dissipated, the day set fair and hot.2013, Martin Booth, Islands of Silence: A Novel, →ISBN
  4. To put in order; to make neat.
    • He is then furnished with dry sheets, hood, &c. brought to the ground for the purpose; when being led home to the stable, he is supplied with the necessary quantity of soft water, a little warm, previous to undergoing a regular and complete dressing, with greater nicety, than in the open air: when...1803, William Taplin, The Sporting Dictionary and Rural Repository of General Information, page 390
    • Then set it fair to the points of the spindles, and at an equal distance back from them at the brasses all along ;1845, The Practical Cotton Spinner

Adjective

set fair (comparative more set fair, superlative most set fair)

  1. Favorable; propitious.
    • The economies of north America, western Europe and parts of Asia seemed to be set fair for many decades of growth fuelled by the high carbon systems of production and consumption.2011, John Urry, Climate Change and Society, →ISBN, page 48
    • All seemed to be set fair for English power across the Channel but in 1369 the new French king, Charles V, known as Charles the Wise, reasserted his feudal rights over all the territories of France.2011, Peter Ackroyd, Foundation: The History of England, →ISBN
  2. In a state of settled fair weather.
    • There was just a chance this morning that, if the weather looked very 'set fair', we might make another attempt, but although at the camp it was beautifully fine, we could still see signs of wind & drift on the sea slopes of Terror & the temperature was rather low.2004, Reginald William Skelton (Judy V. Skelton), The Antarctic Journals of Reginald Skelton
    • It is crucial to have all the machines ready to go when the grass is at its peak and the weather is set fair for two or three days, and when the engineer said that the baler was working fine, we eagerly looked at the weather forecast.2005, Linda Watson, The Ladies of Low Arvie: Living the Farming Dream, →ISBN, page 158
  3. In good shape.
    • All must have looked set fair by the time Hogg returned to Scotland in March 1832, and early reports suggested a rapid sale of 1500 copies of the first volume, representing the first tranche of a printing of 3000.2012, Ian Duncan, Douglas Mack, The Edinburgh Companion to James Hogg, →ISBN, page 29
    • At the racecourse, I could tell Red Rum was very well in himself and looked set fair in the sunshine.2014, Ginger Mccain, My Colourful Life: From Red to Amber, →ISBN

Examples of set fair in a sentence

  • The ceiling of basement to be lathed with strong laths securely nailed, plastered two coats, set fair, and twice whitened when dry.1860, Robert Scott Burn, Handbook of the Mechanical Arts, page 48:
  • Visibility was good and the weather set fair.2016, Geoff Titterton, Our Nine Year Honeymoon, →ISBN:
  • But it won't set fair when made tight around yards or round thimbles.2016, Brion Toss, The Complete Rigger's Apprentice, →ISBN:
  • Robert Zemeckis’s forthcoming Allied is set fair to be a great big blockbuster, a swooning second world war romantic drama.2016 November 7, Peter Bradshaw, “Allied: what happens when a film gets eclipsed by gossip”, in The Guardian:

Forms of set fair

Verb
third-person singular presentsets fair
present participlesetting fair
past participleset fair
pastset fair
Adjective
comparativemore set fair
superlativemost set fair

Questions about set fair

What does set fair mean?
Set fair means to provide a smooth, finished surface on plaster after roughing in.
How do you use set fair in a sentence?
The ceiling of basement to be lathed with strong laths securely nailed, plastered two coats, set fair, and twice whitened when dry.
What part of speech is set fair?
Set fair can be a verb or an adjective.
What is the past tense of set fair?
The past tense of set fair is set fair.

Words near set fair in the dictionary

  1. set down
  2. set dresser
  3. set dressers
  4. set dressing
  5. set eyes on
  6. set fair
  7. set fire by
  8. set fire in
  9. set fire into
  10. set fire of
  11. set fire on

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: set fair (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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