Thanks, Jim -- I'm clear on the meaning of HC; what I'm wondering about was whether it was used generally for climbs--or anything else--before 1979, or before Duke Ellington.
I'm sure we've got some Francophones over the age of 50 on the list, no?
Still curious, Tim (McGovern, Chicago, IL, USA)
On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 5:40 PM, JimAllen <jimallen.ranchita@gmail.com> wrote:
> It's meaning is "beyond category". For UCI events, climbs as categorized (in
> increasing severity), 4,3,2,1 and "hors categorie".
>
>
> Timothy McGovern wrote:
>
>> However, in 1979 (and still today--at least in the U.S.) if you say
>> the phrase "hors catégorie" to a jazz fan, the immediate referent will
>> be Duke Ellington. What I'm wondering is whether Jacques Goddet or
>> Félix Lévitan was an Ellington fan. Or whether "hors catégorie" was
>> idiomatic French before Ellington picked it up and continued in common
>> usage as a tag for, well, beyond category while he was plastered with
>> it.