Teo  +  243419 Fri, 07 Jul 06 06:31 AM Man: I'm dying of thirst. would you make me a cup of tea?  Boy: OK. I'll put the kettle on. What does put the kettle on mean? Teo Joined on Tue, Sep 28 2004 Taiwan Contributing Member 1,631 Thank you very much for your reply.

	Ron In Ohio  +  243424 Fri, 07 Jul 06 07:38 AM  This refers to the practice of heating up the water in a kettle in order to make the tea.  He is putting the kettle on a stove. Ron In Ohio Joined on Fri, May 12 2006 Junior Member 52 The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.

	milky  +  243459 Fri, 07 Jul 06 10:15 AM My mother use to tease me with her reply to my "Mum, can you put the kettle on?" She'd say "No I can't, because it won't fit me.". ;-))) milky Joined on Thu, Jan 15 2004 Senior Member 3,149 Hume said that if we had perfect or complete descriptive knowledge of reality, we could not, by reasoning, derive a single valid "ought".

	Clive  +  243581 Fri, 07 Jul 06 08:43 PM Hi, When I put the kettle on, I don't put it on the stove, I plug it in. Clive Clive Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004 Canada Veteran Member 29,583 El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

	MrPedantic  +  243632 Sat, 08 Jul 06 01:19 AM It's quite an old phrase (cf. the nursery rhyme "Polly put the kettle on"); so "on (the fire) seems most likely. MrP MrPedantic Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004 Veteran Member 12,592 ...opella forensis / adducit febris...

	nona the brit  +  243932 Sun, 09 Jul 06 10:13 AM I heard recently that most Americans don't even own a kettle. Oh. My. God. You are a heathen race after all. nona the brit Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004 England Veteran Member 11,713 The name says it all.

	Waïti  +  243941 Sun, 09 Jul 06 12:22 PM No kidding ? They manage to live without a kettle ??? I'm so shocked it knocks me *** over tea kettle... Waïti Joined on Thu, Aug 25 2005 Regular Member 568

	Grammar Geek  +  243972 Sun, 09 Jul 06 04:21 PM Oh, but I have TWO coffee makers - that has to count for something!  (I do so have a kettle. How else do you heat the water for hot chocolate?) Best regards, Your favorite heathen (okay, ONE of your favorite heathens) Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,652 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random! Regards