# Word of the day: Bespoke



## Jace (Dec 11, 2021)

Adj. _Chiefly Brit._
1. Made-to-order
2.Dealing in custom-made articles.


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## Devi (Dec 11, 2021)

I'd heard Brits using the term "bespoke" before.


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## ohioboy (Dec 11, 2021)

"The tears on my pillow bespeak the pain that is in my heart."


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## Pepper (Dec 11, 2021)

Happened to find this witty article "condemning" (lol) the word 'bespoke'.  The NYTimes has a similar article.  This one is from the Observer:
Humanity, Can We All Please Stop Abusing the Word ‘Bespoke’?​"It’s a great time to be alive for elite admirers of the Gilded Age, and the rapid rise of the word “bespoke” bespeaks this. Consider this very fair question: Why say “made to order” or “custom-made” when, instead, you can sound like an asshole and say “bespoke”?"
https://observer.com/2015/11/humanity-can-we-all-please-stop-abusing-the-word-bespoke/


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## Kaila (Dec 11, 2021)

I thought that this word, _bespoke, more commonly _indicates the meaning in the above post #3; Something that conveys a deep meaning, without any words or verbal, or possibly without even any auditory or any form of language at all.

Such as:

Her facial expression _bespoke_ the years of grieving, which she'd barely managed to endure, since having lost her family and home.

Or the above:


ohioboy said:


> "The tears on my pillow bespeak the pain that is in my heart."



Perhaps it is sometimes also used to convey the other meanings noted in the other above posts?


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## Pepper (Dec 11, 2021)

In Shakespearian times:  https://www.shakespeareswords.com/Public/Glossary.aspx?letter=b
*Bespeak*

bespeak (v.), past forms bespake, bespokeask, request, entreat

*bespoke* (v.)past form of 'bespeak'


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## ohioboy (Dec 11, 2021)

ohioboy said:


> "The tears on my pillow bespeak the pain that is in my heart."


I borrowed mine from Barney Fife.


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## Kaila (Dec 11, 2021)

Pepper said:


> In Shakespearian times:  https://www.shakespeareswords.com/Public/Glossary.aspx?letter=b
> *Bespeak*
> 
> bespeak (v.), past forms bespake, bespokeask, request, entreat
> ...



Very interesting!  Thanks for that input!
The historical usage is fascinating.

Do the meanings cited in the OP above and in the other posts,
 (_custom made; made-to-order)_
for the word _bespoke _reflect current, modern usage?
Or are there simply multiple meanings?


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## Paco Dennis (Dec 12, 2021)

“A Loud Laugh Bespeaks a Vacant Mind!”​Guess who? Hint...W.S.


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