The new (old?) "specialize

[Jonathan Lighter]

Joel must be another great mind, because I was thinking much the same thing
earlier this week.

A local merchant (or perhaps a professional, I can't recall) boasted on
TV that he "specialized" in X, even though it was perfectly apparent that
his business or office did a whole lot of Y, Z, and A as well.

I agree that this use of nonexclusive _specialize_ ('to deal in') has been
around for many years, but I can't say just when I began to notice it.

An older example. My optometrist also owns an opticians' office. Since I
began visiting him about 1995, his stationery has read "Specialists in
Contact Lenses."  Yet the office also offers a wide assortment of eyeglass
frames (complete with prescription lenses, of course).


JL

On Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 5:30 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: The new (old?) "specialize
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Was I too subtle?  My local place *specializes* in *all* cars
> (foreign + domestic = all).
>
> Joel
>
> At 4/21/2011 05:15 PM, victor steinbok wrote:
> >Very old. I remember Alewife Foreign Auto "specializing" in German cars
> >since before 1983. Auto-part stores "specializing in hard-to-get parts".
> The
> >same applies to just about everything. Not sure HOW old, but it's OLD. In
> >fact, that's how the Specialized brand of bikes and bike parts (parts came
> >first, before they started making mountain bikes) came about.
> >
> >VS-)
> >
> >On Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 3:04 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> >
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > > Subject:      The new (old?) "specialize
> > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > I assume old hat, but it only just today engaged my brain -- a local
> > > service station advertises itself "Antoine's Auto Service / We
> > > specialize in foreign and domestic cars".
> > >
> > > (Like humans, all the world id divided into two kinds of automobiles.)
> > >
> > > Joel
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
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