"Bespoke," the past tense of the verb "bespeak" has a secret life as an adjective meaning custom-made (especially re clothes), or make and sell custom clothes, as in "a bespoke tailor."
Dr. Goodword might want to explain how this adjective escaped its orbit into an entirely new life.
bespeak and bespoke
- Slava
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The Dr.'s 2007 treatment is here: http://www.alphadictionary.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2273
Another worthy link is this one from the BBC.
Another worthy link is this one from the BBC.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.
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Bespokes vs. Ready-mades
I don't see the semantics that much askew. We may bespeak plane reservations, simply meaning to book ahead. Bespoke clothes, shoes, etc. are simply those which have been bespoken. That leaves the question of why they are not bespokens. But then past tenses and participles are frequently confused.
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