# Mend/Fix/Repair



## Henrik Larsson

Let's see if in this forum my request succeeds. What's the difference among fix-mend-repair?


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## Nick

Henrik Larsson said:
			
		

> Let's see if my request succeeds in this forum. What's the difference among fix-mend-repair?


*Fix* is the most general and should work anywhere. If in doubt, use *fix*. 

*Fix* has lots of alternate meanings. One of them is "castrate". This is used with animals. For example, "He had his cat *fixed *the day he found 12 baby kittens scurrying across his kitchen counter".

*Fix* also has the alternate meaning "attach" or "secure". This is used with things. For example, "He *fixed* the poles into the wet cement".

*Fix* also has the alternate meaning "influence" or "control". This is used with people and events. For example, "The boxing match was *fixed*; the loser was bribed with $600,000".

*Fix* also has many more alternate meanings that I haven't listed. *Mend* and *repair* do not have such alternate meanings.


*Mend* is old-fashioned and was usually used for clothing.  It is alright to say "She *mended *my sock", but it sounds old-fashioned. *Mend* is not very common anymore and cannot always be used in place of *fix*. For example, you cannot say "She *mended *my computer" or "Can you *mend* my car?". I can't really think of anything _besides_ clothing that could use the verb *mend*.


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## foxfirebrand

Good answer, but about _mend_ I have some differences.  You're right that it's a word largely specialized to mean "repair clothing," but I'm not sure I'd call it old-fashioned.  Would you really say "She fixed my sock?  Or "he took out his needle and thread and fixed a split seam on my dress?"  Well of course you wouldn't use the phrase "my dress" in any context most likely, but you get my point.

As for other uses, you can mend relationships or "mend fences," and a doctor can mend an injured body, and a naughty person can mend his ways.  _Mend_ has an intransitive use that _fix_ doesn't-- wounds mend, as do figurative injuries like broken hearts.  A person can be "on the mend."

As for _repair,_ it tends to describe fixing things that are broken or malfunctioning, but it has some of the same abstract and figurative uses as _mend._  You can repair broken relations as well as appliances and such things that are "broke."  _Fix_ covers most of these meanings of _repair,_ but it sounds a little informal when applied to intangible things that are "repaired," for example repairing the imbalance or the "rift" between people.  We talk, for example, of _reparations_ for things for which there is "no easy fix."

As you pointed out, _fix_ has a whole array of other meanings.  "Fix bayonets" does not mean _repair_ them.  But in addition to being a more widely useful word, and more general, _fix_ is also far more informal or colloquial.  Where that factor is limiting, _fix_ yields to a more specialized or technologically exact word-- like _reconfigure,_ for example.


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## Nick

foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> Would you really say "She fixed my sock"?


Yes, but more likely: "She fixed the hole in my sock"



			
				foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> Or "He took out his needle and thread and fixed a split seam on my dress?"


Too wordy, but I would use "He fixed the split seam on my dress" or "He stitched up the split seam on my dress" or "He restitched the split seam on my dress".



			
				foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> a naughty person can mend his ways


Hmm, no. He _changes_ his ways.



			
				foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> _Mend_ has an intransitive use that _fix_ doesn't-- wounds mend, as do figurative injuries like broken hearts.


Alright, I'll give you that one. I think this is the only time I would ever use the word _mend_.



			
				foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> A person can be "on the mend."


And what is "on the mend"? Getting better (eg: from sickness)?



			
				foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> _Fix_ covers most of these meanings of _repair,_ but it sounds a little informal when applied to intangible things that are "repaired," for example repairing the imbalance or the "rift" between people.


To me, it is the same. Both "fix our friendship" and "repair our friendship" sound jilted and out of place. None of _fix/mend/repair_ is the word to use in this case.


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## Isotta

Nick said:
			
		

> And what is "on the mend"? Getting better (eg: from sickness)?


 
Yes, it means recovering from anything. 

"Mend" is not even quaint; I say and hear it often, and in all of the circumstances listed above.

Isotta.


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## Gordonedi

In the UK, the word "mend" is still in common use, in all of the circumstances previously outlined.

Only last week, my stereo music player stopped working and had to be mended.  Of course, I took it to a "repair shop".

In general, British socks are "darned" rather than "mended".  This is a reference to the type of repair necessary to mend the hole.


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## panjandrum

*Speaking specifically about fix-mend-repair of things:* in this modern throw-away society, the use of any of these words in the old-fashioned sense that I would use them is becoming rare.
I should add that much of the stuff is more durable, less prone to failure than it used to be.
Clothes with holes go into the bin (that's holes due to wear, clothes with designer holes are, of course, worn with pride).
Small domestic equipment that has gone phut also goes into the bin.

*OED advice:*
*fix* = mend, repair (orig. US - I didn't know that?).
*mend* = ...repair...fix ... typically applied to clothing, furniture, crockery, roofs, fences.
*repair* = To renew, renovate (some thing or part); to restore to a fresh or sound condition by making up in some way for previous loss, waste, decay, or exhaustion.

All three have many variations of meaning - I have picked out those most relevant to my specific interest 

*In my head:*
I don't use mend much at all - ah, yes, I mend punctures, with a puncture repair kit 
I fix, rather than repair, anything that can be fixed.
Repair seems to me, today, at midday, to be a rather pompous word for fix


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## GenJen54

I will jump on the "mend" bandwagon and agree it is used in a more intangiable sense. I have also used and heard "mend their ways."

I'm not sure of Nick's age, but it's possible this is a word that is "phasing out" more among younger generations. 

Personally, I cannot imagine the BeeGees song below with "fix" or "repair."

I'll let you sing it to yourselves. 

Chorus:

And how can you *mend* a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?

How can you *mend* this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me *mend* my broken heart and let me live again.

Copywright Barry Gibb, 1971.

In the Southern states, there is also the very colloquial use of "fix" as a substitute for  "going," as in  "I'm fixin' to...." and/or "I'm making."

Example (imagine strong Southern accent):

Darlene:  Billy Bob?  What you doin'?

Billy Bob:  I'm fixin' te fix that broken door out back.

Darlene:  Well, don't be too long.  I'm fixin' dinner.

I certainly would not recommend these uses in proper English, as they are a part of Southern dialect and to not necessarily fit into general everyday use. They are also not very pleasant to hear.


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## Isotta

No, I don't think "mend" is dropping out of usage in the younger generation in the American South. I am young, my family is from there, and I lived there until not long ago. I heard it often. 

Isotta.

P.S. Good call on the BeeGees.


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## Nick

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> I'm not sure of Nick's age, but it's possible this is a word that is "phasing out" more among younger generations.


Indeed. *Mend* sounds like something my grandma would say.



			
				GenJen54 said:
			
		

> Personally, I cannot imagine the BeeGees song below with "fix" or "repair."
> 
> I'll let you sing it to yourselves.
> 
> Chorus:
> 
> And how can you *mend* a broken heart?
> How can you stop the rain from falling down?
> How can you stop the sun from shining?
> What makes the world go round?
> 
> How can you *mend* this broken man?
> How can a loser ever win?
> Please help me *mend* my broken heart and let me live again.
> 
> Copywright Barry Gibb, 1971.


This is the only practical use of *mend*, as I already explained above


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## Kelly B

Aw, c'mon, y'all. That there Darlene's voice is jes' as smooth as the honey on them biscuits she's fixin'. (And they ain't no cookies like y'all call a biscuit. They're just hot little fluffs a' heaven, jes' flour, salt, milk, 'n a big ole dollop a' lard in a nice hot oven to make 'em puff up to the sky). Not so hard on the ears, is it, really?

ehem. back on topic.

I mend clothing, and even say so, here in the northern US. 
Speaking of old-fashioned usages, "to repair" can also mean to go, as when the ladies "repair to the drawing room".


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## Isotta

Well, the South is a big place. Speech varies greatly even within states, sometimes from county to county.

While I don't darn a sock--I throw it away--I do darn pointe shoes. I mend torn seams, friendships, and most broken things. I replace a missing button. I tend to have my shoes repaired at the cobbler's, as "repair" suggests an expertise to me for some reason. And I fix my computer, or rather, I try to. 

Isotta.





			
				Kelly B said:
			
		

> Aw, c'mon, y'all. That there Darlene's voice is jes' as smooth as the honey on them biscuits she's fixin'. (And they ain't no cookies like y'all call a biscuit. They're just hot little fluffs a' heaven, jes' flour, salt, milk, 'n a big ole dollop a' lard in a nice hot oven to make 'em puff up to the sky). Not so hard on the ears, is it, really?
> 
> ehem. back on topic.
> 
> I mend clothing, and even say so, here in the northern US.
> Speaking of old-fashioned usages, "to repair" can also mean to go, as when the ladies "repair to the drawing room".


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## garryknight

"Fix" can also mean either what a junkie needs ("I've gotta get a fix, man!"), or what a junkie does ("Gonna fix some H").

"Repair" also has an old-fashioned meaning, to move to another location ("Shall we repair to the sitting room?").


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## blueberrymuffin

I was just wondering about the difference between these two words. Does it have to do with regional English or do they actually have different meanings?


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## panjandrum

Hello blueberrymuffin and welcome. I hope you don't feel as vulnerable as you should do at 12 noon just before I go out to get coffee 

Have a look at THIS THREAD which discussed fix, mend and repair. Feel free to ask for clarification.


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## blueberrymuffin

Perfect! Thank you! 
PS: Have a bagel!


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## cuchuflete

That incorrigible Panj must mend his ways, and learn to brew coffee.  I get my caffeine fix in the kitchen.

Mend is a rarity in spoken AE, except for particular usages such as mending nets, mending fences, and some sewing tasks.


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## blueberrymuffin

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> That incorrigible Panj must mend his ways, and learn to brew coffee.  I get my caffeine fix in the kitchen.
> 
> Mend is a rarity in spoken AE, except for particular usages such as mending nets, mending fences, and some sewing tasks.




THANK YOU!


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## cheshirechat

I don't know about everyone else, but I think mend is also used a lot in regards to relationships (especially by counselors, therapists, and such) because it seems to be a softer word than repair.  

ex: You and your boyfriend need to mend your relationship by building trust.


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## cheshirechat

sorry -- forgot. Mend is also used with broken limbs. 

ex: She is on the mend (she is getting better)
Your leg needs time to mend after your fall.

And I am on for coffee in the Kitchen, the Starbucks, anywhere...just start an I.V. feed because it is 7am here


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## cuchuflete

cheshirechat said:
			
		

> I don't know about everyone else, but I think mend is also used a lot in regards to relationships (especially by counselors, therapists, and such) because it seems to be a softer word than repair.
> 
> ex: You and your boyfriend need to mend your relationship by building trust.



Ah yes, counselors, therapists and such other purveyors of PC speak...always soften the message to avoid the confrontational effects of directness and honesty.   

By building trust= stop lying to one another. Build trust by being trustworthy.  

I shall mend my ways, and embrace life perceived through filters


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## cuchuflete

cheshirechat said:
			
		

> just start an I.V. feed because it is 7am here



Hi Cat,

Hope your clock is on the mend.  Your post is timestamped 7:31, and your message says it's 7!

Back to my mini-rant against _P.Kerrectus,_ if a relationship can be mended, that implies that it's just a little frayed, whereas, if it's broken, it needs to be fixed.  In PC speak, it could have compound fractures and severe lacerations to the heart and soul, yet still be subject to mending.  Does this compute?


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## cheshirechat

It's not my clock it's my inability to find my glasses, and as such my need to tell time by what's on tv instead of accuracy.

Well, isn't the point of PC speak to never portray things as they really are? I didn't say that mend was accurate in that situation, just that it was frequently used. On the other hand, if a relationship gets past the point where mending is in order, does it need to be fixed or just euthanized(did i spell that wrong?)


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## Yyrkoon

Hi there, can someone explain me the difference amongst this three words?
My english is not as good as I would like, so if you can use not too much difficult words it will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.


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## Sallyb36

As far as I know they are interchangeable, they all mean the same thing.


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## junipernest

Sallyb36 said:
			
		

> As far as I know they are interchangeable, they all mean the same thing.



Here in America they are mostly the same, too.  

"Mend" is not used very often here.  When we say "mend" we are usually talking about clothing or fabric.  One does not "mend" a car, a pipe, or other things that stop working.  One "mends" a sock or a dress.  

Also there is a phrase "to be on the mend" that means "to be feeling better."  If a person is sick, and then starts to feel better ,we may say "she is on the mend."

The other meanings you may see for "fix" are: to determine the winner of a sport event illegally ("he fixed the race" or "the fight was fixed"), or to be in trouble ("I'm in a fix").

In most places you can use fix or repair in the same sentence without sounding strange.

cheers
-j.


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## Yyrkoon

Thanks you both.


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## junipernest

Yyrkoon said:
			
		

> Thanks you both.


Happy to help
and if you can give us a sentence to use the words in, the help will be better.

cheers,
J.


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## Cloventwine

*Fix: To Tamper,* to work on.

*Mend: To Improve, *to progress.
*
Repair: To Correct,* to make wrong to right, to make non to working.

The difference among all three are the variables and outcome.
_
The differences between all three are the amount of effort and power put into the action.

_
A fixing does not always lead to a completed result. A mending is not always physical. A reparation is always about correction.


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## Cloventwine

Fix= Actions put together. Mend= Action in progress. Repair= Action with an end result.


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## Lecword

Hi all

So, if a table has a broken leg, could I say...

_"I need to *repair *my table" or
"I need to *mend *my table"_ ?

Which verb sounds better?

Many thanks


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## JustKate

_Mend, repair_ and _fix_ can all be used in reference to a table. I'd probably use either _repair_ or _fix_, but _mend_ doesn't sound improbable.

The problem is that while in many contexts these words can be used interchangeably, in others only one or two are commonly used. There is no real logic it this, at least not as far as I can see - it's just a question of custom and idiom.


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## Cenzontle

Several years ago I read, in a respected British newspaper, an alleged quotation from the speech of an American soldier in Iraq, about "mending" a car.
Since then, I take journalists' quotation marks with a grain of salt.
Americans don't talk that way.


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## popckorn

Can "Reparation" be used for mechanical devices?

Such as in: "Glue Dispenser Reparation Procedure"

Before now I had only read "reparation" in the context of paying money to black or jewish people because of what was done to them, or for countries paying other countries for all the losses after a war -the loser would pay the winner, of course-. 

I felt drawn to "Glue Dispenser Repairment Procedure" but "repairment" does not exist.  "Glue Dispenser Repair Procedure" sounds odd to me.

Thank you, y´all!


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## JulianStuart

Repair is fine as a noun in its own right



> (from the WRF dictionary)n
> •the *act, task, or process* of repairing
> •a part that has been repaired
> •state or condition: in good repair



Reparation can also be used in this way, but most people will think of the redress meaning these days and that would lead to confusion.


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## popckorn

So technicall it is well employed, and in context with an instructive protocol on how to fix broken devices it should be fine, right?

I like using current, if only not so popular, acceptations of words, just for the sake of refreshing their breadth. 

Thank you, Julian!


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## JustKate

I see that the dictionary says that _reparation_ can mean "the act of repairing," but the other two definitions are far more common. I would invariably assume that _reparation_ is being used to mean "the act or process of making amends" or "compensation exacted as an indemnity from a defeated nation by the victors." That the meaning might be "the act of repairing" would never occur to me, so if I read it used this way, I would either be very confused or else I'd assume it was an error.


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## popckorn

Thank you Kate.

Usually I would go for the most common word, but in this particular case, I can only change the word if it is absolutely necessary, such as an undeniable error. Provided the word is technically correct, I cannot risk to make such a lengthy process in our system -at work- for it. 
I have to choose my battles.

But thank you for your imput, Kate, personally I will never use "reparation" to supersede perfectly fit "repair".


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## JulianStuart

JulianStuart said:


> Repair is fine as a noun in its own right
> 
> Reparation can also be used in this way, but most people will think of the redress meaning these days and that would lead to confusion.





JustKate said:


> I see that the dictionary says that _reparation_ can mean "the act of repairing," but the other two definitions are far more common. I would invariably assume that _reparation_ is being used to mean "the act or process of making amends" or "compensation exacted as an indemnity from a defeated nation by the victors." That the meaning might be "the act of repairing" would never occur to me, so if I read it used this way, I would either be very confused or else I'd assume it was an error.



With that answer, JustKate seems like a good representative of "most people"  Perhaps the dictionary needs to be reparated


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## popckorn

Hahaha, indeed, Julian. I wonder which is the breaking point in which publishers start considering making amends to their matrix.


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## Andygc

popckorn said:


> So technicall it is well employed, and in context with an instructive protocol on how to fix broken devices it should be fine, right?
> 
> I like using current, if only not so popular, acceptations of words, just for the sake of refreshing their breadth.
> 
> Thank you, Julian!


Actually, no. By current do you mean "dating back to the 14th century"? You are not talking about a normal, current meaning of the word. You are discussing a now rare usage which would not be readily recognised by most English speakers. The normal context for this word refers to the refurbishment of buildings - as in the phrase _reparation and restoration_. It would be extraordinary to use _reparation_ to mean the _repair_ of a glue dispenser. I'd go so far as to suggest that it would be foolish to use it in this context as it would be more likely to cause puzzlement than understanding.


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## JustKate

Popckorn said:
			
		

> Usually I would go for the most common word, but in this particular case, I can only change the word if it is absolutely necessary, such as an undeniable error.



I agree with Andy. I understand only making "necessary" changes, but this *is* a necessary change. Just use _repair_ - that means exactly what you want it to mean, and more importantly, readers will understand exactly what you mean by it, something you can't say about _reparation_.


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## popckorn

Thank you VERY much, guys.
This was the encouragement and certainty I needed to make the ammends to the system and documentation. 
Much obliged!. 
I will start the change process now.


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## nh01

Isotta said:


> I tend to have my shoes repaired at the cobbler's,



Is this a personal choice? Or do three of the verbs normally work for the shoes? Thanks.

I have my brother repair/fix/mend my shoes.


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## Andygc

Repair or mend. We don't fix shoes in BE. I don't know if Americans would say _fix shoes_ to mean _repair shoes_.


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## Keith Bradford

As a British speaker, I'd never use _fix _with the meaning of _repair_ or _prepare_.

For me, to fix is to secure something in position: _Fix the pieces together temporarily with tacks while the glue sets...  The smoke alarm should be fixed to the ceiling with the screws provided..._

The normal verb is to mend, with repair being used for professional mending. _ I can easily mend the broken leg on this chair, but I'd need to take my car into a garage to be repaired. _ There is overlap between these two.

AE: _ If it ain't broke, don't fix it._
BE:_  If it's not broken, don't mend it._


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## Cenzontle

In AE you can "mend" socks and other articles made of cloth,
but not things made of hard materials such as cars or furniture.


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## london calling

I wouldn't say 'fix' in reference to shoes shoes but I have no problem saying 'The TV needs fixing', 'I've just had my headlights fixed but they're still not dipping,' etc.

It had never occurred to me that this could be an AE usage.


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## Andygc

london calling said:


> I wouldn't say 'fix' in reference to shoes shoes but I have no problem saying 'The TV needs fixing', 'I've just had my headlights fixed but they're still not dripping,' etc.
> 
> It had never occurred to me that this could be an AE usage.


Those are fine by me too, but it's usually my tap that's dripping, not my headlights.


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## london calling

Bloody autocorrect. I'll fix it. 🤣


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## london calling

I also say 'fix lunch', which I see Keith doesn't approve of either. 😁


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## kentix

I would only use repair in relation to shoes, probably because just about any place here that does that kind of work is advertised by a sign that says Shoe Repair.


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## Keith Bradford

london calling said:


> I also say 'fix lunch', which I see Keith doesn't approve of either. 😁


Why, what's wrong with your lunch that needs mending?  Definitely an Americanism.  Ah, perhaps you mean *set a firm date for* lunch? 

The relatively few conversations I've had with American friends concerning the English language suggests to me that the British (well, my wife and I at least...) have larger working vocabularies and aren't afraid to use them.  Having recourse to _*fix *_when the language is endowed with _cure, darn, heal, patch, rectify, refit, reform, remedy, renew, renovate, repair, restore, retouch, ameliorate, amend, better, emend, improve, fettle _and _revise_ is like eating chips (AE: _fries_ ) with everything, or using a hammer and nails for every carpentry job. Boring!


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## JulianStuart

Keith Bradford said:


> Why, what's wrong with your lunch that needs mending?  Definitely an Americanism.  Ah, perhaps you mean *set a firm date for* lunch?
> 
> The relatively few conversations I've had with American friends concerning the English language suggests to me that the British (well, my wife and I at least...) have larger working vocabularies and aren't afraid to use them.  Having recourse to _*fix *_when the language is endowed with _cure, darn, heal, patch, rectify, refit, reform, remedy, renew, renovate, repair, restore, retouch, ameliorate, amend, better, emend, improve, fettle _and _revise_ is like eating chips (AE: _fries_ ) with everything, or using a hammer and nails for every carpentry job. Boring!


I would be wary of comparing the vocabularies of nations as a whole, so your limitation is  wise)
Whether the terms came to BE from AE or not, Collins, the BE dictionary at WRF, lists


> _f_*ix *_informal_  to prepare: to fix a meal


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## Roxxxannne

Keith Bradford said:


> Why, what's wrong with your lunch that needs mending?  Definitely an Americanism.  Ah, perhaps you mean *set a firm date for* lunch?
> 
> The relatively few conversations I've had with American friends concerning the English language suggests to me that the British (well, my wife and I at least...) have larger working vocabularies and aren't afraid to use them.  Having recourse to _*fix *_when the language is endowed with _cure, darn, heal, patch, rectify, refit, reform, remedy, renew, renovate, repair, restore, retouch, ameliorate, amend, better, emend, improve, fettle _and _revise_ is like eating chips (AE: _fries_ ) with everything, or using a hammer and nails for every carpentry job. Boring!


This is silly.  Americans have plenty of synonyms for 'fix' depending on what the context is, and we use them all the time.


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## london calling

Keith Bradford said:


> Why, what's wrong with your lunch that needs mending?  Definitely an Americanism.  Ah, perhaps you mean *set a firm date for* lunch?


Nope. I use it to mean prepare lunch. Sorry if you don't like that (not that I really care).


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## london calling

Roxxxannne said:


> This is silly.  Americans have plenty of synonyms for 'fix' depending on what the context is, and we use them all the time.


Of course you do. And so do we, despite what KB thinks.


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