英语词汇a-1的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

A-1. A-1, for anything excellent, first class, originated with the expression A-1 at Lloyd’s, referring to the rating of ships in Lloyd’s Register. Lloyd’s of London, the world-famous in- surance association, has insured everything from the first airplane to Hollywood sex symbols, but at its inception the company wrote only marine insurance. Lloyd’s takes its name from a coffeehouse operated by Edward Lloyd, of whom the earliest record is in 1688 and who died in 1713. For travelers, Lloyd served as a sort of one-man tourist bureau, and there is even evidence that he would fix the press gang who shang- haied men into the naval service—for a price. Virtually noth- ing else is known about the elusive, enterprising Lloyd except that businessmen willing to insure against sea risks congre- gated at his coffeehouse on Lombard Street and issued marine policies to shipowners. Here Lloyd’s List, a paper devoted to shipping news, was published in 1734, making it the oldest London newspaper, except for the London Gazette. By 1760 the precursor of Lloyd’s Register of Shipping had been printed, and only 15 years later the phrase A-1 was used in its pages to denote the highest class of ship. Charles Dickens first applied A-1 to people and things in 1837. Lloyd’s, now international in scope, eventually moved to the Royal Exchange and finally to its present $15-million headquarters on Lime Street. It ad- opted its name legally when incorporated a century ago, not long before writing the first burglary insurance (1889). Lloyd’s also wrote the first policy covering loss of profits re- sulting from fire and pioneered in automobile and worker’s compensation insurance. The corporation can issue anything but long-term life insurance. Not actually an insurance com- pany, Lloyd’s is a corporate group of some 300 syndicates composed of about 5,500 strictly supervised individual un- derwriters, each of whom must deposit large sums—about $35,000—as security against default on the risks each ac- cepts. Some interesting Lloyd’s policies and losses in its risky history include: ■ A $100,000 “love insurance” policy that provided pay-

词汇	a-1
词源	A-1. A-1, for anything excellent, first class, originated with the expression A-1 at Lloyd’s, referring to the rating of ships in Lloyd’s Register. Lloyd’s of London, the world-famous in- surance association, has insured everything from the first airplane to Hollywood sex symbols, but at its inception the company wrote only marine insurance. Lloyd’s takes its name from a coffeehouse operated by Edward Lloyd, of whom the earliest record is in 1688 and who died in 1713. For travelers, Lloyd served as a sort of one-man tourist bureau, and there is even evidence that he would fix the press gang who shang- haied men into the naval service—for a price. Virtually noth- ing else is known about the elusive, enterprising Lloyd except that businessmen willing to insure against sea risks congre- gated at his coffeehouse on Lombard Street and issued marine policies to shipowners. Here Lloyd’s List, a paper devoted to shipping news, was published in 1734, making it the oldest London newspaper, except for the London Gazette. By 1760 the precursor of Lloyd’s Register of Shipping had been printed, and only 15 years later the phrase A-1 was used in its pages to denote the highest class of ship. Charles Dickens first applied A-1 to people and things in 1837. Lloyd’s, now international in scope, eventually moved to the Royal Exchange and finally to its present $15-million headquarters on Lime Street. It ad- opted its name legally when incorporated a century ago, not long before writing the first burglary insurance (1889). Lloyd’s also wrote the first policy covering loss of profits re- sulting from fire and pioneered in automobile and worker’s compensation insurance. The corporation can issue anything but long-term life insurance. Not actually an insurance com- pany, Lloyd’s is a corporate group of some 300 syndicates composed of about 5,500 strictly supervised individual un- derwriters, each of whom must deposit large sums—about $35,000—as security against default on the risks each ac- cepts. Some interesting Lloyd’s policies and losses in its risky history include: ■ A $100,000 “love insurance” policy that provided pay- ment if a certain photographer’s model married (she did, after the policy expired). ■ A “happiness policy” that insured against “worry lines” developing on a model’s face. ■ Losses paid of $3,019,400 after the Lutine Bell rang over the rostrum announcing the Titanic disaster; more than $5.6 million on the sinking of the Andrea Doria; $1,463,400 on the 1906 San Francisco earth- quake damage; and $110 million on Hurricane Carol in 1954.
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