Word of the day.

Bespoke - as in a "bespoke suit."

I'll confess that I knew it had nothing to do with " to speak," but a part of me really thought it did have something to do with "to speak."

It is better to light a single candle than curse the dark, so I looked it up, and the answer is....

"U.K. made to order: made to a customer's specifications

"a bespoke suit."

Huh? 

 

Well, maybe it does have something to do with "to speak" in the sense that "to order" involves "to speak."

 

According to the online etymology dictionary -

 

bespoke

"custom or custom-made, made to order," of goods, as distinguished from ready-made, 1755, the same sense found earlier in bespoken (c.1600), pp. of bespeak, in a sense of "to speak for, to arrange beforehand," a sense attested in bespeak from 1580s. Now usually of tailored suits.

Today's exercise in OCD obscurantism comes from this Ann Althouse post on the MSM's trashing of Callista's Gingrich's style, as in -

The cat claws are out for Callista, whose own hyper-manicured claws "are folded neatly over her lap, a posture she frequently assumes." She "assumes her signature rigid stance." If she's in any position, it is — in Daily Beast talk — a position she assumes. Because she's just that kind of person, now, isn't she? So entitled.

"From her perfectly coiffed bob to her bespoke power suits, Callista Gingrich possesses a style that evokes a woman who wants to mirror her husband’s wealth and power — and lacks any singularity." She assumes her rigid position — her stance — next to the man, mirroring him, wearing a version of his suit, lacking any personality of her own. Lacking any "singularity." Are you kidding? She's the most distinctive-looking person on the political scene! The bright colors, the sharp edges, the signature hair.