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Glite Dictionary
Marks and Sparks

Marks and Sparks

1 8.0
A British shop chain that sells food and clothes
  • proper noun
  • UK
: Marks and Sparks
  • I love shopping at Marks and Sparks for their fresh food.

Examples

  • Have you ever visited Marks and Sparks in London?

  • The Christmas biscuits from Marks and Sparks are always a treat in our family.

  • She always shops at Marks and Sparks for her groceries and clothes.

  • Tourists often visit Marks and Sparks to buy high-quality British products.

  • I often buy my groceries at Marks and Sparks because they have a great selection.

  • During the holidays, we always treat ourselves to special foods from Marks and Sparks.

  • Many shoppers prefer Marks and Sparks for their quality clothing and food items.

Surface Forms

Marks and Sparks main

Morphology

Marks + and + Sparks

This is a lexicalized, culture-specific nickname for the retailer Marks & Spencer; the literal words 'Marks' and 'Sparks' (or their common-noun senses) do not convey the company meaning. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not be able to infer that this refers to a specific British retailer without prior exposure, so the expression is idiomatic and non-compositional.

Etymology

Marks and Sparks is a friendly nickname for the store Marks & Spencer. One popular story says people liked to make a short, catchy pair from the two family names, keeping Marks and turning Spencer into Sparks, so the phrase came to mean the same shop today.