Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
jacket (n.)
has a generalized sense, “any short coat, usually opening down the front,” but it has two specialized senses as well: (1) “a suitcoat, blazer, or other tailored short coat,” including the combinations dinner jacket, mess jacket, Norfolk jacket, shooting jacket, and sport(s) jacket; and (2) “any informal coatlike outerwear with a slide fastener, snap, or button closing, usually loose fitting and intended for knockabout use.” Some Americans regularly describe a man’s suit as having a coat or suit coat; others call it a jacket. Both usages are Standard.
