homme clé is usually a key figure, in English, not usually key man.

@Lambie thanks, what's the French equivalent for key man?

l'homme-clé is a company leader for insurance purposes: I never knew that: smabtp.fr/sma/assurance/infos-assurance/lexique-assurance

@Lambie I don't think it's really specific to insurances.

It's in that lexicon as a term specifically used in insurance. Of course, it came from elsewhere. You can say: Il est l'homme-clé du régime.

The entry says: Personne jouant un rôle déterminant dans le fonctionnement de l’entreprise. L’homme-clé peut être un ou plusieurs dirigeants effectifs dans les petites et moyennes entreprises, .... It's in a lexicon put out by some insurer, but it applies to any company.

To take point is {être | marcher} en pointe: fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/pointe Déf. 8. If you want to retain the military overtones: Olson tenait la pointe du ministère de la Défense lorsque [...]. VTC.

Of course, it applies to any company but it is definitely used as an insurance term in French or it wouldn't be in an insurance glossary, would it? Here's another: Le contrat d’assurance homme clé est un contrat de prévoyance qui vise à compenser le préjudice financier subi par une entreprise lors de la perte momentanée ou définitive d'une personne essentielle à la poursuite de son activité. previssima.fr/question-pratique/… What is there to disagree on here? Obviously, homme clé preceded that insurance use of the term.

Why not straight on answer?

@Lambie Mais non. Ils assurent juste "l'homme clé", comme ils pourraient assurer "le PDG", "le tanker", "l'avion" ou n'importe quoi d'autre.

assurance "homme-clé" Assurance souscrite par le dirigeant d'une entreprise pour couvrir les risques liés à une incapacité ou à son décès éventuel. par des notaires.

Tiens voilà plus de "insurance terms": assurance notaire, assurance pompier, assurance voiture, assurance bris de verre, assurance peinture, assurance livre, assurance cheval, ... autant que tu veux :-)

Oh, I thought that technical glossaries were to be believed. I guess not, according to you. Ils disent: Contrat "Homme-clé on another site. It could not be clearer. In fact, it's pretty cool. The lexicon in French does not include Assurance PDG, because a PDF is an homme-clé.

You might want to rethink your ideas about this.

It's just a common term to describe what they are insuring, nothing else. It's not a technical term specialized for insurances. There is also "assurance tout risque" and a myriad other insurances, and the word that follows "assurance" is not necessarily a "technical" term. Plus, you've said yourself, homme-clé is used commonly outside of insurance contexts. If it was an insurance specific, technical term, it wouldn't be used anywhere else. There's a contradiction there.

None of the ones you wrote are in a lexicon. However, many have a lexicon. Assurance voiture: lexique Here is one example of car insurance terms from a French glossary: sosmalus.eu/services/lexique

It is a specialized term. Why you refuse it I have no idea. Yes, assurance tout risque has a lexicon too. Just because it is used elsewhere doesn't mean they can't use it for someting specific. Every type of insurance has a lexicon, glossary of terms. Liability insurance is assurance responsabilité civile. Isn't responsabilité used all over the place?

Yeah, so, usually "used all over the place" = "not specialized". What meaning do you give to "specialized"?

A car is a road vehicle with an engine and four wheels for insurance purposes: I never knew that.

@jlliagre C'est bizarre ce glissage de la compréhension et cette fixation sur "lexicon", par exemple.

@Frank Oui, ça aurait si simple qu'elle dise: Tiens, il y une assurance spécifique pour les hommes clés: je n'étais pas au courant. (Moi non plus d'ailleurs).