off-the-peg suit
- noun
- UK
:
traje de talla estándar
- Unlike bespoke tailoring, an off-the-peg suit can be worn immediately after purchase.
Examples
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He bought an off-the-peg suit for the interview because he needed something quickly.
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Many department stores have a wide variety of off-the-peg suits in different sizes.
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He bought an off-the-peg suit for the wedding.
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Are off-the-peg suits really cheaper than custom ones?
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He decided to buy an off-the-peg suit for his job interview instead of waiting for a tailor-made option.
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The store had a wide selection of off-the-peg suits available, perfect for anyone in need of a quick outfit.
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She found a stylish off-the-peg suit that fit her perfectly and was ready to wear for the wedding.
Antonyms
How Ready-made
Surface Forms
Morphology
off-the-peg + suit
The overall meaning 'ready-made' is related to the literal sense of taking an item 'off' a 'peg' (i.e. from display), so there is a motivated link to the constituents. However, that link depends on cultural/retail knowledge and the specific use of 'peg' for clothing is not fully predictable from the words alone, so a B1 learner who knows the words may not reliably infer the meaning without exposure.
Etymology
Off-the-peg suit may come from the simple idea of suits hanging on a shop peg or rail so a customer can take one off right away to buy. That's why it means 'ready-made' clothes you can buy now, not ones 'made to order'.