SOS
The conventional Morse code call made by a ship in distress.
Noun abbreviation, alt of
- Initialism of Secretary of State.
- Initialism of special order sale.
Noun Entry 2
- The conventional Morse code call made by a ship in distress.
- The crew sent a frantic SOS as they realised the scale of the disaster.
- "Look at wireless. Look at the S. O. S. call at sea. Is that not a benefit to mankind?" - 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html),...
- At around 5:30 a.m., crewmembers of a JCG patrol boat received an SOS from the 106,726-ton freighter Anangel Courage. The patrol vessel and a JCG plane found the freighter on the high seas about 67 kilometers away from...
Origin
From interpretation of the signal (· · · — — — · · ·), chosen merely as a sequence that is easy to recall and transmit, as normal Morse letters. It is not, as is commonly believed, an abbreviation for "save our souls", "save our ship", or any other phrase.
Forms
Related
Noun games
- A children's game in which players take turns to place S's and O's on a grid, collecting points by creating an "SOS" sequence.
Related
Noun abbreviation, alt of
- Initialism of shit on a shingle.
Phrase abbreviation, alt of
- Initialism of slip on show: a warning to a woman that the underwear she has on can be seen.
Phrase government, military
- Initialism of struck off strength or stricken off strength.
Antonyms: TOS