I am reading Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens.  
Miss Snevellicci, the glamorous actress, is scheduled for a "bespeak" related to a forthcoming theatrical production (written by Nicholas).  I understand the bespeak to be a kind of subscription in which theatre lovers purchase seats in advance of the performance.  But Dickens implies that the bespeak in this case is a sort of scam for generating revenue.  What is the sense of "bespeak" as used by Dickens in this context?

Yes!  And what is a "bespoken" tailor?  

I’ve never seen "bespeak" as a noun, but one of the meanings of the word as a verb is to place an order for something - so this would fit with the advance purchase of theatre tickets. No idea about the Victorian scam though…

As for bespoke tailoring (no "n", in England at least), a bespoke suit is one that’s specially ordered - made to measure, not off the peg.

Ed

From http://www.thesaurus-dictionary.com/files/b/e/s/bespeak.html

1. a bespeaking. among actors, a benefit (when a particular play is bespoken.)

2. to speak or arrange for beforehand; to order or engage against a future time; as, to bespeak goods, a right, or a favor. to show beforehand; to foretell; to indicate. to betoken; to show; to indicate by external marks or appearances. to speak to; to address.

3. to speak.

It appears the dictionary covers both of the meaning mentioned.  I found it interesting that under "thesaurus terms for bespeak" that "tell" first mentions hill.

Steve

- is it wrong to post from another (competing) dictionary site?