fixing

Pluralfixings

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of fix.

   The technician is fixing the broken valve before the next shift.

   Fixing old clocks has become her weekend hobby.

   Note

   The -ing form does double duty. After be it is the progressive participle (is fixing the valve), and in noun positions it is a gerund (Fixing old clocks…). Every sense of fix travels with it, from attaching a shelf to the chess move of fixing an enemy pawn. Where it settles into a noun of its own, it becomes the rigging of a vote or the builder's screws and plugs.

2. 2
   nounUKcountable

   A screw, wall plug, or similar small item used to help attach parts together during construction.

   Each fixing must be rated for the full weight of the cabinet.

   The builder ran out of fixings halfway through mounting the shelves.

   Similarfastener

   Note

   A British trade word, usually heard in the plural: builders ask for fixings, and the singular turns up mostly when one item is being judged, as with a fixing rated for a load. It covers screws, wall plugs and the like, so it names the job the hardware does rather than any one shape. Take care not to confuse it with the plural for a meal's trimmings, which is spelled the same.

3. 3
   verbdialectalSouthern USintransitivewith infinitive

   About to do something; preparing or getting ready to act. Used only in the construction fixing to.

   I'm fixing to head into town if anyone needs a ride.

   They were fixing to close up the store when the last customer walked in.

   Similarpreparing, planning, aiming

   Note

   A Southern US way of marking what is just about to happen, and it always takes a to-infinitive: fixing to go, fixing to leave. It works even with an empty subject, as in It's fixing to rain, so it signals nearness in time rather than anyone's actual preparation. Outside the South, or in formal writing, it reads as slang, and about to is the neutral choice.

4. 4
   noununcountable

   The act of dishonestly controlling the outcome of a vote or other contest.

   The fixing of the ballot handed power to the losing party.

   Investigators uncovered the fixing of last year's union election.

   Similarrigging, manipulation

5. 5
   nouncountable

   The accompaniments or trimmings served along with a main dish.

   The barbecue came with cornbread, beans, and all the usual fixings.

   She laid out the fixings for a proper Sunday roast.

   Similartrimmings, accompaniments, sides, extras

Showing meanings only. Show all 5