[PW] etapes

[Simon Cauchi]

On 22/12/2007, at 9:23 AM, burchell at telusplanet.net wrote:

> The term etapes, which, as I understand it, having first encountered 
> it in
> crossword puzzles, is the definition for a days march, and later, in a 
> short
> story entitled "Dawn at Etapes" depicting a duel fought over a chess 
> match
> as an etape. An etape is also, I believe, a series of graneries, and 
> supply
> depots, established by Napolean, that were  built and maintained to 
> coincide
> at each etape so that men and horses could re-arm, and re-supply. One 
> of
> R.F. Delderfeld's novels (sorry, I don't recall the title, tells the 
> story
> of three Gascon friends who fought for Napoleon

The word "étape" is defined in my _Concise Oxford French-English 
Dictionary_ (first published 1934, reprinted 1963) as follows:

"1. Stage; halting-place, station; day's march; _brûler les étapes_ to 
ride or travel without relays; (fig.) to go post-haste; 2. (archaic) 
depot, mart."

My _Oxford Paperback French Dictionary_ (third edition, 2002) simply 
has "stage; (lieu d'arrêt) stopover; (fig.) stage".

Simon Cauchi
<simon.cauchi at xtra.co.nz>