tailor-madeadj.
1. Made by a tailor; esp. said of women's garments of a heavier type, close-fitting, and plain in style, (originally spec.) when made by a tailor as distinguished from a dressmaker; hence elliptical as n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > made by specific manufacturer > by tailor
tailory1610
tailorism1839
tailorage1858
tailor-made1873
tailordom1895
tailoring1899
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > made by specific manufacturer > tailor
tailored1862
tailor-made1873
man-tailored1922
1873 Punch 20 Sept. 112/1 I shuddered to behold these words, ‘Tailor-made costumes for ladies’.
1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal II. x. 221 Gowns of dark brown serge which simulated the masculine simplicity of tailor-made garments.
1892 Daily News 29 Mar. 2/4 Braid is the favourite trimming for tailor-mades, now that fur is almost out of season.
1906 Daily Chron. 1 Sept. 4/7 If ‘tailor-made’ means anything, it means..distinct from dressmaker-made on the one hand and factory-made on the other.
1932 W. H. Auden in Rev. Eng. Stud. (1978) Aug. 284 She's been having her tailormades altered.
1981 A. Lurie Lang. of Clothes viii. 222/1 The ordinary woman..might wear..a..wool or linen suit (the ‘tailor-made’) with a shirtwaist.
2.
a. figurative. Made such by the tailor, i.e. by one's dress.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > made by specific manufacturer > tailor > made such by the tailor
tailor-made1832
1832 T. Carlyle in Fraser's Mag. 5 386/1 If such worship for real God-made superiors showed itself also as worship for apparent Tailor-made superiors.
b. transferred. Dressed in tailor-made garments.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adjective] > other
slitteredc1380
tatteredc1380
accoutredc1540
suiteda1592
undressed1605
uniforma1626
full-dressed1731
tucky1748
underdresseda1784
costumed1820
décolleté1831
fancy dressed1836
winter-clad1836
sacked1847
evening-dressed1848
mufti1853
tailor-made1896
swim-suited1955
1896 Westm. Gaz. 1 May 8/2 Some severely tailor-made ladies were waiting in the entrance-hall.
1904 Daily Chron. 28 May 8/1 The ‘tailor~made girl’, like the ‘frilly girl’, has her opportunities upon the river.
3. Made to answer a specific demand or requirement; perfectly suited for a particular purpose.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > [adjective] > perfectly suited or fitted
well-sittinga1300
well-fitting1578
glove-fitting1868
fairly-fitted1870
made-to-measure1885
tailor-made1896
good-fitting1903
1896 G. B. Shaw in Sat. Rev. 7 Nov. 494/1 The public were tired of tailormade plays, and were ripe for a revival of colour and costume.
1897 G. B. Shaw in Sat. Rev. 1 May 470/2 A theatre which is panelled, and mirrored, and mantelpieced like the first-class saloon of a Peninsular and Oriental liner..is no place..for anything except tailor-made drama and farcical comedy.
1938 Cine-Kodak News Aug. 10/1 (heading) Tailor-made showings.
1946 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch 24 Nov. 12 b The work is another venture in the science of redesigning plants and animals through genetics to bring forth ‘tailor-made’ species.
1953 Economist 30 May (Suppl.) 9/1 The tailormade molecules which form the long fibres used in weaving Terylene.
1958 Spectator 14 Feb. 194/3 A seat tailor-made..for the Liberals to dance further fandangoes on the carefully laid plans of their rivals.
1963 Times 19 Feb. 18/2 Shipowners may before long buy vessels ‘off the peg’ instead of each vessel's being an individual tailor-made job.
1970 G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard i. 14 It's a job almost tailor~made for you.
1972 ‘H. Carmichael’ Naked to Grave v. 59 I can get all the credit for an inside story... The way you described it to me is just tailor-made for my column.
1980 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Arts Mar. 185/2 The tailor-made building had arrived.
4. Designating a ready-made (as opposed to hand-rolled) cigarette. Frequently elliptical as n. slang (originally U.S.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > smoking > articles or materials used in smoking > [adjective] > type of cigarette
bird's eye1877
gold-tipped1890
mentholated1895
cork-tipped1907
king-size1909
roll-your-own1911
tailor-made1924
filter-tipped1927
king-sized1940
roll-up1948
filterless1956
tipped1964
untipped1968
unfiltered1976
1924 ‘Digit’ Confessions 20th Cent. Hobo 12 Tailor-mades, ordinary ready-made cigarettes.
1930 J. Devanny Bushman Burke 88 He smoked ‘tailor-mades’ now.
1945 N.Z. Geographer 1 23 The background of all this is tobacco. There are but few pipes, and ‘tailor-made’ cigarettes are only a luxury. ‘Roll your own’ is on most lips.
1952 E. Wilson Equations of Love 29 Just a match... I don't smoke tailor-mades.
1955 People (Austral.) 1 June 8/1 Leopold..was..told he had been reported for possessing contraband, a ‘tailor-made’ cigarette. Leopold didn't even know what a ‘tailor-made’ cigarette was.
1962 N. Freeling Love in Amsterdam iii. 145 Martin stayed quiet after distributing his last tailormades.
1974 D. Sears Lark in Clear Air iii. 40 I went and bought a package of Turret tailor-made cigarettes and I lit one.
Derivatives
ˈtailor-ˌmadeness n.
ΚΠ
1900 19th Cent. Nov. 791 A perfectly-fitting gown, elegantly ‘smooth’, though plain in its tailor-made-ness.
ˈtailor-make n.
ΚΠ
1898 Daily News 22 Jan. 6/5 Almost all the gowns of tailor-make were turned back in front with white, red, or cream-colour.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
<
adj.1832