Spectator 2436

[flobbo]

Finding it hard to parse 18a: "short cassock could make gear for bishops". Have all letters but the last but still puzzled.

[dannyk13]

What letters do you have?

[bookbinder]

If you would be so kind as to tell us what you've got, we should be ever so grateful, if it's not too much trouble.

[ProfessorMaisie]

It's an anagram of CASSOC(k) - 'Short cassock' and is an alt. sp. of the word with two Ks.

[flobbo]

Well, I had SACCO? but still can't parse it or maybe I have an inadequate dictionary.

[dannyk13]

https://orthodoxwiki.org/Sakkos

[ProfessorMaisie]

You're just about there - SACCOS alt sp 'sakkos' - in Chambers (under the kk spelling it gives - ''n. in the Easter Church, a bishop's vestment like an alb.... Gr sakkos 'a bag'').
Chambers Dictionary is very useful.

[dannyk13]

Chambers definition is sakkos- in the Eastern church,a bishop's vestment like an alb or a dalmatic ( also saccos)