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World Class
Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 6:15 pm
by Perry Lassiter
I heard the president refer to our "world-class "health system today. I have a long wondered where this expression came from. I don't believe I heard it usedbefore 20 or 30 years ago. It seems to mean whatever the user wants it to mean, something similar to top of the line or superior. Anyone have any comments, experiences, or maybe even knowledge of where this came from.
Re: World Class
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 6:27 am
by bnjtokyo
The earliest use of "world class" as an adjective to modify a noun in the sense given above (as opposed to phrases such as "world class struggle" where the head concept is "class struggle" and the domain is the "world") is in an article entitled Olympiad XVI in The Rotarian dated February 1956. The article refers to "world class cycling"
Re: World Class
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 5:54 pm
by Perry Lassiter
Has anyone set any rules or standards for the use of the term?
Or, as I suspect, is it a self-proclaimed promotional term? The only rational use, it seems to me, was to a top of the line item that would be perceived as the best anywhere in the world.