set the tone

set the tone

To establish the mood of something, or the manner in which something will be conducted. Her warm greeting really set the tone for the dinner party, which was one of the loveliest I have ever attended. The first paragraph really sets the tone for the rest of the piece by introducing subtle humor and an unexpected point of view.
See also: set, tone
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

set the ˈtone (of/for something)

create or establish a general feeling or atmosphere among a group of people (about a particular subject): His very clever and very funny speech set the tone for the rest of the evening.
See also: set, tone
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • a slew of (something)
  • a/the feel of (something)
  • (I) wouldn't (do something) if I were you
  • a straw will show which way the wind blows
  • a crack at (someone or something)
  • all right
  • (you) wanna make something of it?
  • all for the best
  • a thing of the past
  • a bird in the hand
References in classic literature
Mawmsey's friendly jocoseness in questioning him which had set the tone of Lydgate's reply.
Middlemarch
SET THE TONE As the modern cliche goes, a week is a long time in football.
A HAT-TRICK OF HOPES: What the UAE and Saudi Arabia should be looking for from their friendly
The Multan Sultans captain also praised the bowling attack, who according to him set the tone for a famous win on Sunday.
Following PCB orders regarding captaincy: Shoaib Malik
Banerjee said, "The uptick in manufacturing growth also shows that the second half has started off on a positive note and would hopefully set the tone and tenor for growth for the second half of the fiscal." Industry body Assocham said the strong growth performance of industrial activities in October is largely the result of strong domestic demand, exports and investment activities.
India Inc cheers encouraging October industrial production
Cliff Nyakeya set the tone for the rout in the 26th minute, moments after Collins Wakhungu was sent off for a malicious tackle on Clifford Alwanga.
Mathare thrash 10-man Nzoia to go top
"Take the same never-say-die attitude to Ibrox and we can head home victorious" was the gist, underlined by the caption: "Go there and set the tone."
tweet of the week
'I felt like we understood what we needed to do to set the tone.'
Finals experience helps Meralco overcome Phoenix
"He has to be aggressive and set the tone early," Lue said.
NBA: Lue wants LeBron to set tone early
It set the tone but this will be another titanic battle.
Reply will get juices flowing; mirror.co.uk/sport SATURDAY 05.08.2017 DAILY MIRROR 47 BERNARD FLYNN Expert FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER analysis from a legend of the game @bernardflynn15 CONTACT ME ON EMAIL irishsport@trinitymirror.com
I know the foul trouble early set the tone for the rest of the night, but I've got to take a little bit of blame for sure."
First half dooms OSU in Civil War road loss
"It was my job to set the tone from the start and it was great to get the first wicket and especially that of the England captain," said Steyn.
Dale gets a triple tonic
They set the tone for the game from the off and finished the half goals up.
Teesside youngsters skate to a hat-trick of victories; ROLLER HOCKEY
The great food, weather, and company combined to create a magical evening, and the Annual UL Event set the tone for a wonderful NEHA conference!
Annual UL event
The England pack set the tone for last weekend's 32-3 triumph in Salta, with two destructive early scrums sending Argentina into reverse and Freddie Burns kicked the penalties.
Webber ready for a battle
Leaders set the tone of the culture of an organization and that culture is really the "attitude" that permeates the unit.
Setting the tone