set the table

1. Also, lay the table. Arrange a cloth, plates, glasses, silverware and the like for a meal, as in Please set the table for eight tonight. [Late 1300s]

Example Sentences

Two hit batters and two walks set the table, and Dalton Rushing and Mookie Betts each delivered two-run singles with none out.

From Los Angeles Times

The political history of the U.S. from 1820 on has typically been presented as a series of compromises over slavery to stave off secession, but in reality, every “deal” from the Compromise of 1820 onward was a victory for the pro-slavery faction, and each victory set the table for the further advance and legal entrenchment of slavery.

From Salon

My job is to get on base, set the table for Shohei and the guys behind him.’

From Los Angeles Times

Does Hackford think “La Bamba” helped set the table for subsequent Latino pop star success?

From Los Angeles Times

“I think the one who set the table was Ritchie Valens. He recorded a song in Spanish, a rock ’n’ roll version of a folk song, and he made it a huge hit.

From Los Angeles Times