set-to

[set-too]

noun

plural

set-tos 

1. a usually brief, sharp fight or argument.

set to

verb

1. to begin working

2. to start fighting

noun

1. informal,  a brief disagreement or fight

Word History and Origins

Origin of set to¹

First recorded in 1735–45; noun use of verb phrase set to

Idioms and Phrases

Apply oneself, begin, work energetically, as in We set to revamping our policy on child care , or She set to studying for the bar exam . [Early 1400s]

Begin fighting, as in Both of them were furious, and they set to immediately . [First half of 1700s]

Example Sentences

Ellis claimed that, during the set-to, the rapper scratched her with a long nail extension, leaving a facial scar.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Itching for a robust little set-to, they rode around waving the California Republic’s Bear Flag — which by then was a states’ rights symbol.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Black leaders and groups sponsored the first Black float, “Freedom Bursts Forth,” for the 1964 parade, after a very public set-to over the parade’s absence of people of color.

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The three-issue set-to opened in Marvel Mystery Comics No. 8 and is an early example of the Marvel motto “to reflect the world outside your window.”

Read more on New York Times

To date, the lesson from the set-to — that publishing a senator arguing that federal troops could be deployed against rioters is unacceptable — will forever circumscribe what issues opinion sections are allowed to address.

Read more on Washington Post

Related Words

• action 
• altercation 
• argument 
• battle 
• bout 
• brawl 
• clash 
• combat 
• conflict 
• confrontation 
• contest 
• controversy 
• disagreement 
• dispute 
• duel 
• exchange 
• feud 
• match 
• melee 
• quarrel