Re: Getting more info on a variable in Customize buffers

[Robert J. Chassell]

    I guess the name "custom-set-variables" was a mistake.  It makes
    people think of it as a command (like setq), rather than a
    declaration. ...

>From what you are saying, it is very much a mistake.  The symbol
responds to `C-h f' (describe-function), which says

    custom-set-variables is a compiled Lisp function in `custom'.
    ...
    Initialize variables according to user preferences.

which tells me it is a function like `defvar'.

-- 
    Robert J. Chassell                         
    address@hidden                         GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8
    http://www.rattlesnake.com                  http://www.teak.cc