Quote Originally Posted by English Noodles View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Begbie
Set lao - ready...not finished. Usually refers to food but can also refer to a task.
It just means finished or ready. Certainly doesn't 'usually refer to food'. It has also more recently been highjacked by teen speak as referring to finishing oral sex. So if you are out and about and you say loudly to your wife 'set laeo' and a group of teenagers laugh, you will know why.

If you mean finished in the case of the race is finished, then don't use this phrase. It means something has been made and is finished / ready. Asking teenagers for oral sex is outside of my comfort zone but "tam ngan bahn" covers the normal home duties.