E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Broadcloth.
The best cloth for men’s clothes. So called from its great breadth. It required two weavers, side by side, to fling the shuttle across it. Originally two yards wide, now about fifty-four inches; but the word is now used to signify the best quality of (black) cloth.
