Transmitted without pause and repeated every few seconds, the SOS meaning was unmistakable, specifically because it didn’t form any known word or abbreviation. When carved into a snowbank, say, or spelled out in boulders on a beach, SOS still looks like SOS no matter which way the rescue chopper approaches. an internationally recognized distress signal in which the letters SOS are repeatedly spelt out, as by radio-telegraphy: used esp by ships and aircraft, a message broadcast in an emergency for people otherwise unobtainable, Victor Mooney’s Epic Adventure for His Dead Brother, This 1979 Novel Predicted Putin’s Invasion Of Crimea. At a time when international ships increasingly filled the seas, and Morse code was the only instantaneous way to communicate between them, vessels needed a quick and unmistakable way to signal that trouble was afoot. Unlike WD-40, CVS, and TASER, SOS is not even an acronym: It’s a Morse code sequence, deliberately introduced by the German government in a 1905 set of radio regulations to stand out from less important telegraph transmissions. There was also a visual appeal. At first, different nations used different codes. By 1908, the code we know and love took effect as the official international radio distress signal, and remained that way until 1999, when Morse code was declared all but dead. SOS: MAYDAY (logging abbreviation) SOS: Save Our Ship (distress call; common but incorrect) SOS: Sibling Over Shoulder (chat) SOS [not an acronym] a common misconception is that SOS means Save Our Ship/Souls (a distress call); the letters don't actually stand for anything: SOS: Secretary Of State: SOS: Sound On Sound: SOS: Somali Shilling (ISO currency code) SOS Remember it fondly, and then memorize these other mnemonic devices that could save your life.
Looking for the definition of SOS? We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Don’t miss these other acronyms you’d never figure out. Best known for its appearances in desert island cartoons, maritime movies, and earworms by ABBA and Rihanna, the letters SOS have been used as a code for emergency since 1905.
We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), words you never realized are the same forwards and backwards, mnemonic devices that could save your life, 5 Ways You’re Shortening the Life of Your Amazon Alexa, 20 of the Toughest Tongue Twisters in the English Language, 11 Irregular Plural Words That Sound Completely Wrong—But Aren’t, Do Not Sell My Personal Information – CA Residents. 'Somali Shilling' is one option -- get in to view more @ The Web's largest and most authoritative acronyms and abbreviations resource. Today, a ship can signal distress with the touch of a button, the lift of a phone, the launch of a rocket, or—if they’re feeling nostalgic—flashing a good ol’ SOS via light signals across the waves. SOS: Strength of Schedule (sports statistic) SOS: Sense of Security: SOS: Save Our Souls Not only is SOS a palindrome (a word that reads the same backwards and forwards, like civic, deified) it’s also an ambigram, a word that looks identical whether read upside-down or right-side-up. Britain, for example, favored CQD; as the Titanic sunk into the ocean in April 1912, it broadcast a mix of CQD and SOS calls (the resulting confusion helped take CQD out of use for good). The answer, dear readers, is nothing—and that’s exactly why it’s important. The sequence of triplet dots and dashes proposed by the German government soon became the international favorite for its elegant simplicity. https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/SOS, Old Matadi Estate Community Chairman, Kemoh Sherrif, lauds the Medical Center of the, That professionalism and spirt of cooperation played a large role in securing the 5th, Two runners from each team will win an all-expense paid trip to the, QUETTA -- Senate Chairman Mohammad Sadiq Sanjrani on Sunday visited Save Our Souls (, Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary, the webmaster's page for free fun content, SOS Children Village Liberia launches medical outreach, RYAH Medtech partners with SOS Cannabis to provide free legal representation to Canadian patients seeking reimbursement of medical costs, SOS to gradually lose international donor funding, Continuity and Expertise: Reserve instructors helping train future AC-130J crews for special ops missions, Orphans care collective responsibility: AJK president, Maharashtra: 2 leopard cubs rescued by forest department, Wildlife SOS in Junnar, Intent to help, not speed, will be rewarded in Thailand World Run event, Margaret Kenyatta roots for elimination of maternal mortality, HIV infections, [not an acronym] a common misconception is that SOS means Save Our Ship/Souls (a distress call); the letters don't actually stand for anything.
Besides learning about the SOS meaning, here are some other words you never realized are the same forwards and backwards. “Save On Socks (at Sal’s Irregular Sock Emporium)!” These are all things that “SOS,” the international abbreviation for distress, does not stand for. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. ) used, especially by ships in distress, as an internationally recognized call for help. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. While the same series of dots and dashes could also just as easily translate to the Morse code sequences for VTB, SMB, and others, SOS had an instantly-recognizable symmetry.