From Late Middle English fetlen (“(verb) to bestow; to fix, prepare, put in place; to prepare (oneself) for battle, gird up; to shape; to be about to, or to ready (oneself) to stay; (adjective) shaped (well or poorly)”) [and other forms], which possibly:
* from Old English fetel (“belt, girdle, fettle”), from Proto-Germanic *fatilaz, further etymology unknown; or
* from Old English fetian (“to fetch”), from Proto-Germanic *fatōną, *fatjaną (“to fetch”), from Proto-Indo-European *ped- (“foot”).
Compare Old English ġefetelsod (“provided with a belt; trimmed, polished, ornamented”).
Meanings
A state of physical condition; kilter or trim.
These strong 2-8-2s […] appeared in good fettle, especially those shedded at Lublin and several arrivals and departures were photographed in the fine evening light. 1979 August, P. R. G. Kennard, “Polish Steam Panorama”, in Railway World, page 421:
One's mental state; spirits.
Sand used to line a furnace.
A seam line left by the meeting of mould pieces.
(UK, dialectal) The act of fettling.
(Cumbria, Geordie) A person's mood or state, often assuming the worst.
de Zustand (person’s mood or state, often assuming the worst) · bg форма (state of physical condition — see also kilter, trim) · fi veto (state of physical condition — see also kilter, trim) · de Verfassung (one’s mental state — see also spirits) · fi kunto (one’s mental state — see also spirits) · bg състояние (one’s mental state — see also spirits) · de Zustand (state of physical condition — see also kilter, trim) · cs forma (state of physical condition — see also kilter, trim) · cs stav (state of physical condition — see also kilter, trim) · de Einklang (state of physical condition — see also kilter, trim) · de Form (state of physical condition — see also kilter, trim) · de Formsand (sand to line a furnace) · fi kunto (state of physical condition — see also kilter, trim) · de Geisteszustand (one’s mental state — see also spirits) · de Grat (seam line left by the meeting of mold pieces) · de Zustand (one’s mental state — see also spirits)
From Late Middle English fetlen (“(verb) to bestow; to fix, prepare, put in place; to prepare (oneself) for battle, gird up; to shape; to be about to, or to ready (oneself) to stay; (adjective) shaped (well or poorly)”) [and other forms], which possibly:
* from Old English fetel (“belt, girdle, fettle”), from Proto-Germanic *fatilaz, further etymology unknown; or
* from Old English fetian (“to fetch”), from Proto-Germanic *fatōną, *fatjaną (“to fetch”), from Proto-Indo-European *ped- (“foot”).
Compare Old English ġefetelsod (“provided with a belt; trimmed, polished, ornamented”).
Meanings
(Northern-England, especially) To sort out, to fix, to mend, to repair.
For some time after the train had gone Oscar stood on the track conversing with members of the fettling gang […] 1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter VI, in Capricornia, page 83:
He is getting his saddle altered: fettling about this and that; does not consider what danger he is in. 1858, Thomas Carlyle, History of Friedrich II of Prussia:
(intransitive) To make preparations; to put things in order; to do trifling business.
Nor list he now go whistling to the car,
But sells his team , and fettleth to the war 1597, [Joseph Hall], “(please specify the page)”, in Virgidemiarum, Sixe Bookes. First Three Bookes, of Tooth-lesse Satyrs. […], London: […] Thomas Creede, for Robert Dexter, →OCLC:
(transitive) To line the hearth of a furnace with sand prior to pouring molten metal.
(Geordie, reflexive) To be upset or in a bad mood.
Divint fettle yersel ower that!
To remove (as by sanding) the seam lines left by the meeting of two molds.
(transitive) To machine away seam lines or more generally to make small adjustments to a component or machine to improve its fit or operation.
He wants to fettle his gearchange mechanism before the next competition.
(archaic, transitive) To prepare.
But fettle your fine joints 'gainst Thursday next... 1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet:
de putzen (to remove seam lines left by the meeting of two molds) · de ordnen (to make preparations, put things in order or do trifling business) · de beschroten (to remove seam lines left by the meeting of two molds) · de ausfüllen (to line the hearth of a furnace with sand) · de beschneiden (to remove seam lines left by the meeting of two molds) · de vorbereiten (to make preparations, put things in order or do trifling business) · de arrangieren (to make preparations, put things in order or do trifling business) · de prötteln (to make preparations, put things in order or do trifling business) · de reparieren (to sort out, fix, mend or repair) · de richten (to sort out, fix, mend or repair) · de auskleiden (to line the hearth of a furnace with sand) · de flicken (to sort out, fix, mend or repair)