Three pairs of pronunciation

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 11:28:54AM -0700, Arnold Zwicky wrote:
>
> on the other hand, the item of men's formal apparel (part of
> the "white tie (and tails)" kit, with cutaway jacket and
> tails) is correctly labeled "morning coat" [...]

Forgive me for being pedantic about your parenthetical, but a
"morning coat" is indeed distinguished by a cutaway and tails
(with the front of the coat tapering gradually back to the
tails), but it is not worn with white tie.

A morning coat is properly worn either with a turndown collar
and a four-in-hand (i.e. "regular") tie, or with a wing collar
and an ascot.

White tie is formal _evening_ apparel, and the coat (called a
"tailcoat") has tails but with the front of the coat cut
directly back to the tails, not gradually as in a morning
coat. A tailcoat is worn with a wing collar shirt and a white
bow tie.

In other words, there are two different coats worn as part of
men's formal attire, a "morning coat" for daytime events, and
a "tailcoat" for evening events. These garments, and their
related accessories, are not identical.

I could go on at much greater length....

Jesse Sheidlower
OED

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