S.O.S.

Posted by R. Berg on April 10, 2002

In Reply to: S.O.S posted by Julie on April 10, 2002

:
: : It may mean, "Save Our Ship"

: : OOps I erased some stuff! Anyhow does it mean like the sorrows and heart aches in our lives? Save or Ship, is that what that could mean? Julie

Not "save OR ship," which sounds like a mailroom employee asking the supervisor for instructions--"Am I to keep this or send it out?" "Save OUR ship." In Morse code, SOS is three dots, three dashes, three dots.

From The American Heritage Dictionary:
S O S
1. The letters represented by the radiotelegraphic signal . . . _ _ _ . . . , used internationally as a distress signal, particularly by ships and aircraft.
2. Any call or signal for help.

So if you found the phrase "our SOS" in a context where Definition #2 makes sense, that's what it means. "Nobody responded to our SOS" means "Nobody helped us when we asked."

• S.O.S. Sauerkraut 04/14/02
  • SOS/SSS/CQD/MAYDAY ESC 04/14/02
    • SOS/SSS/CQD/MAYDAY Sauerkraut 05/02/02