Huor
27991
675
12
Aug 5, 2026 5:30 PM
Huor
27991
675
12
jgjgjgjgjgjgjg
MAGA = Manipulating America's Gullible Assh0les
yeahhedugit
Argument that ends too soon.
IAmJacksViagraInducedErection
No, it doesn't.
marthafarquar
Superchief86
People who mix up entomology and etymology bug me beyond words.
Maulbert
Color me not surprised someone doesn't understand etymology.
Xenarion
For those wondering, SOS is simply because it was the two easiest letters to make in Morse code.
... --- ...
cousteau
I think E and T are easier.
Sakkura
Easy and unmistakable, rather than absolutely easiest.
Xenarion
That's a better descriptive, thanks.
urza220
Are E and T a joke to you?
Xenarion
Fair. I guess I should have said they are easy to make, rather than the easiest.
njessup1992
. . . - - - . . . is a very clear and unmistakable message, even when the signal quality is poor. The letters don't matter.
zagibu
Nah it comes from send over socks. It might sound strange, but around the time when telegraphing was invented, a devious foot fungus was crippling the people, so there was a law made that anybody without socks would have to buy a pair offered at $1 minimum, which was a lot of money at the time, so any chance to find someone sockless quickly brought a lot of sock vendors over. Which means it was a good way to get help if you insinuated that you are in need of socks.
cousteau
I hate that I have no way to prove this isn't true.
Revicus
I think the real trick to getting yarns like this to take off is to add something salacious, violent, or unpleasant. Look at how well "dark nursery rhyme explanation" type stuff takes off.
nomoralcompasss
It's actually Sex Oral Sex.
Revicus
I'm going to say that saying I'm wrong about anything "spits on the memory of countless lives lost at sea" going forward, regardless of content or context.
Argusdubbs
OmenJones
#4 Somebody's looking to get smacked over the head with all 20 volumes of the OED.
crazyspelling
No, it's not fair to compare the OED and MWD. The OED is the Father, the MWD is the Son, and the UD is the Holy Ghost.
lozeldatkm
no, the MWD. Can't you read??
ChazzK
Would that then make it a Mass of Weaponized Destruction?
lozeldatkm
that's what I call my ass
jaggcomputing5
I happen to be the proud owner of all twenty said volumes of the OED. Not here to fight, just brag đ
kramorp
I think the point they were trying to make is that the meanings don't change, but we add new uses for them. Cool & sweet still mean the same thing when used in the original context, but the use of them in a different context leads us to add a new meaning. Sinister still means on the left side, it never changed, but new definitions were added.
Misora
Don't threaten me with a good time!
Snooj
I guess I'm old but everyone from my generation watched "bad" become an contronym almost overnight. One day it wasn't. Then it was. Nearly every piece of slang is an example of words changing meaning from "tubular" to "cool" to "sweet".
Urgalicity
"tubular" must be a plumbing expression I'm not familiar with s/
ActuallyMyNamesMarina
To be fair, have you ever seen a tube? They're pretty rad.
viva93
fuck that's good
jethroismaxbaer5772
At least creampies are still sweet treats.
DemSumBigAssRidges
Snooj
And Coke is merely a refreshing beverage. Nothing more.
Type17
And gay just means happy and joyful
Unclescam
In some countries a fag is still a cigarette.
functyou
Is that mansplaining or rather comparable to the Mandela effect? A backronym formed in popular belief for over a century is difficult to distinguish from factual etymology for most men and women
LinguisticBitch
Woman here. Youâre mansplaining for likes. Be quiet.
Jackpot7777777
Fuck right off with that shit.
OddOod
sure, right up until we had the entirety of human knowledge at our fingertips
Cardenjs
Unrelated but we need the sarcasm punctuation mark
cousteau
Was it the reversed question mark? And the underlined dot was the "not actually sarcastic" mark. Those would really help on internet communication
Cardenjs
I think it was the ?! together
Freightshaker
SWIFT: Stevie Wonder Institute For Trucking.
bikergeek6249
Sure Wish I'd Finished Training
nomoralcompasss
Sorry, Wife Is Finishing Tacos
keyblader1985
cousteau
I suspect this post is not about you.
RevolutionOnHerLips
this is beautiful
ArchMagos
That means "Y'all' is a double plural
nickelrocket
Y'all is singular. All Y'all is plural. Sincerely, a texan.
ArchMagos
Y'all is either singular or plural, depends on who you're talking to. Its also a gender neutral pronoun. Sincerely, an Eastern North Carolinian.
mikasaur
I have a (slightly racist?) cousin who was a gym teacher. He loved to tell the story of a black student who asked him "we be poolin' today?" And how he admonished the kid until the kid asked "are we swimming today?" I always wanted to fire back with something like this. "Certainly thou dost not think that language ne'er changes?" Or something.
littlespooner
My favorite part of English is that you can verbize (or verbify, if you will) nouns and it just works.
I love an easily butchered yet still easy to understand language.
Jackpot7777777
I heard a great explanation of why using âbeâ in a sentence adds so much more emphasis or turns the sentence from just a standalone statement to a universal truth.
Example:
The Lincoln Tunnel is gridlocked - the tunnel between NJ and Manhattan is currently experiencing a bit of traffic.
The Lincoln Tunnel be gridlocked - it doesnât matter when you thought I was talking about the tunnel. It exists in a constant state of jammed fuckery.
They donât think it be like it is, but it do.
FoxVoxDK
I have an inexplicable urge to add - Yarr! after The tunnel be gridlocked....Yarr!
BumpusMcPhumpusAngeletes
This precise relationship between current status and permanent identity exists in Irish Gaelic. âTĂĄim tuirseachâ means âI am tiredâ with a sense that it is a temporary condition. âIs tuirseach mĂŠâ means the same thing but it identifies me as being permanently tired or as having tiredness be part of my identity. The verb âbĂonnâ takes this even further by implying a habitual state of affairs. It translates approximately to âdoes beâ which sounds silly but gets the point across.
BumpusMcPhumpusAngeletes
Thus âBĂonn me tuirseachâ would mean âI do be tiredâ or something akin to âI am frequently and habitually tired.â
seenunseen
I made my own. Port was left at the docks, but the stars are to the right. Works for me anyways
Snaitf
Port and Left both have the same number of letters. That's how I remember.
IhopeyougetstageIIIcoloncancer
One of the hardest concepts to internalize when learning other languages was that words are not words.
Words are encapsulations of ideas. Like how "the Inuit have 20 words for snow". No they don't, they have 20 different words for 20 different ideas, whereas English has decided to encapsulate all 20 ideas with the same word.
"Play an instrument" and "play a game" are two separate ideas which we have encapsulated in two separate words, which coincidentally look and sound identical.
IhopeyougetstageIIIcoloncancer
IDEAS are immutable and cannot change over time, but the manner in which we encapsulate an idea changes and evolves. Sometimes we choose to encapsulate multiple ideas with the same word, sometimes we choose to encapsulate one idea into multiple words depending on the context and inflection we wish to impart.
The very idea of language is incredible. That I can make your brain think something on purpose by vibrating the air or showing you splotches of lines is nothing short of miraculous.
QuartzPoker
ACRONYM stands for Aptly Condensed Reading Of Nonsensically Yonderous Mouthsounds. Source: me.
robnorrisradio
I got one: How many of you think nimrod is an insult? Well, you can thank Bugs Bunny for that. In the Book of Genesis, Nimrod was King of Assyria and a mighty hunter, but once Bugs sarcastically addressed Elmer Fudd as "Nimrod", it suddenly came to mean a clumsy buffoon.
duktayp
FML = Fix My Lighthouse
nomoralcompasss
Fondle My Liver!
drizztx
Chaaaaarlieeeee...
duktayp
BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation
cousteau
ORâŚ
medimr
jethroismaxbaer5772
ricpaul
So it doesn't mean Big Bad Christians? https://imgur.com/pKf05Fu
SometimesOthertimesAnytime
You mean it doesn't stand for Big Block Chevy?
rezpawner
Not "Beautiful Black Cooter"?
rezpawner
You know, like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysemys Not sure what else it could be.
newsguycraigevans
If that's what you want to believe. https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1cXZ4ZHUybjFyYTlzdGFoamUyeDM2aGFwcG8wcHVtbGd6OXRvY29uYSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/pcKnpFrumIM7TtzayE/200w.webp
1stDrunkJoe
"Always probing, always quizzical, BBC." British Broadcasting Corporation tagline. Always makes me chuckle.
HaveSpacesuit
My kids will watch Planet Earth and say Big Baby Circle and crack up laughing. Every. Time.
OnyxTurret
Among others.
Daliena06
"BBC, let's see.. Oh, British Broadcasting Corporation, that okay. Uncle Roger not like that other kind of BBC."
bikergeek6249
CBT=Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
OddOod
My dude, friend of mine had to learn this the hard way: At work.
Omicron416
Also: Computer Based Training!
Zammurkele
tzahtman
To quote Thor, Odinson "All words are made up"
mak10z
Merriam-Webster: the Meme Lord
Targe0
I think more Linguistic edge lord is a more fitting title for how they were acting.
an0therthr0waway
Maybe they should hire a blunt, pedantic, autist. "No, you are WRONG. THIS is correct: ..."
Targe0
I think that's what they might have actually done there.
an0therthr0waway
heh... I was thinking they should be less snarky/sarcastic and more vindictive/judgmental.
Targe0
Oh just give the pile on more time and they'd get to that.
Nothing like the internet telling you that your factual statement from your position of borrowed authority is demonstrably inaccurate, to make people get aggressively defensive.
DMSledge
I know a couple pedantic autists, and they are definitely snarky and sarcastic. If anything this post was too tame. (P.S. I now triple check my posts in order to reduce my unintentional level of snark)
ChicksDigTrucks
Horrific and terrific used to be synonyms.
thecoloradokid
Like the word "literally" for which Merriam added a new definition a few years back. In these trying times, the definition of literally has evolved and it can now also mean figuratively, as in, "I literally died when I read this post"
Leaps
No it hasn't evolved. People just go with dumb trends. I'll die on this hill.
DysgraphicProgrammer
I hate this because it does NOT mean figuratively. It degraded into a general intensifier ('very', ' much') that is often used in figurative contexts.
Revicus
Which has made the word considerably less useful, so I'm still semi-quietly cranky about it even if there's nothing to be done about it.
Allrighty
Eh, it's usually clear enough from context...
Revicus
Usually, but I can't help but think no one should ever have to ask "Do you mean 'literally' literally?"
cousteau
I like to use "I'm literally dying" and then dare anyone tell me that I am not.
Feralkyn
That feels like a battle lost ;(
duktayp
"SHIT" as a label on cargo = Ship High In Transit, because fertilizer shipped below-decks produced methane and went boom, sinking ships .... That story has been debunked but sounds correct
Allrighty
Debunked? You spit on the memory of countless lives lost at sea!
redneckninjascout
Sounds a bit like "Fornicating under consent of the King"
VowelShiftBetch
That one sounds like a bored group of sailors and/or dockworkers wanted to write SHIT all over the boxes and came up with an excuse to
duktayp
"dry fertilizer is cheaper to ship. If it gets wet it starts producing methane, which builds up if unventilated + candles/oil lamps = boom" ... a good storyteller is convincing, telling this urban legend
FlatPlutoSociety
Yeah, for whatever reason, it seems like we just like to believe that common words are acronyms. Like I can't tell you how many times I heard that "rap" stands for either "rhythmic American poetry" or "random acts of poetry" back in the 90s.
Allrighty
These are called "backronyms", in which a word is retroactively interpreted as an acronym, often serving as a humorous folk etymology.
MungChomper69420
Hol' up...
What does ratio mean in this age?
cousteau
It's like TV but only autio, not viteo.
jimhotep
To get ratioed? aka your post received far more critical comments or replies than likes.
UNHchabo
I've always seen it used talking about when a reply gets more likes than the original post.
Xenarion
I've seen boths.
Xenarion
Either refers to the comments-to-like ratio, (more comments than likes means people disagree, as downvotes aren't a thing on Twitter) or to the ratio of likes on someone's reply vs the likes on the original post.
Huor
Watch Mars post to see it illustrated.
SmashySashimi
When a lot more people like a response than the original comment that it responded to.
Feralkyn
It hasn't got a strict definition, actually, and depends on the platform. In a lot of cases it means "more retweets" (or shares, etc.) "than upvotes," i.e. you got a lot of attention but it ain't positive.
keyblader1985
foreverinchains
Words don't have intrinsic meanings, they have common usages. These usages change over time, and dictionaries just list whatever usages happen to be around at the time. One word can have many different meanings depending on the context in which it is used. Light is a decent example.
Targe0
And they also list the historical usages so people can make sense of their usage in older texts.
BurningVeryImportantThings
to quote Thor "all words are made up."
Targe0
Yep, written words are just a collection of random shapes we have all agreed pair with the particular meat sounds our vocal cords made, in regards to one of the many languages around the world.
ElusiveThing
I dislike like how Republicans are called conservatives. But that's how language changes and need to get on with the times.
Ionico
Ahem: "fucking____"
PanNonOpticon
Onomatopoeic words have somewhat intrinsic meaning.
Kbantar
It is annoying when religious/political propaganda adds meanings directly contradicting an older more scientifically accurate one. Such as theory, or ape vs. monkey, etc. Every day is a struggle to avoid "yelling at a cloud". lol
BriefcaseTacos
if I make a mouth-noise and you comprehend my intended meaning, BOOM, we used a real word, with a legitimate meaning. doesn't matter if that mouth-noise has ever been used before or what it may have been used to indicate.
stonetemplefox05
SOURCE?! /s
INeedMoreGifMeMoreJustOneMore
Are you making light of the situation?
Isorikk
You right, that's lit. Fam just got ratio'd for real for real, on God.
LankyBootyGriswald
Literally what I was thinking. Language is radical like that. See I can do it too :D
FussyZeus
Also if you're in an argument and cite the dictionary you are almost certainly wrong. It's a weak pedantic argument and there's incredibly good odds you're just being an old fart about something.
Source: I'm an old fart.
foreverinchains
If, for example, you're using a non-standard definition of a word, or you've invented your own definition, and I cite the dictionary to clarify what that word means in context, it would be silly to claim that I'm "almost certainly wrong".
If you want to take a moment to define terms before the argument begins, we can use whatever made-up definitions you like.
The words aren't the important part. The concepts they convey is.
volock
Like using decimated about the roman army victory to describe them killing 10% of the other force?
alcamar
It's such a versatile word https://youtu.be/fM_ItkV6fYI?is=rzBkrNELz_y6r22r
BurningVeryImportantThings
Fuck you you fucking fuck, youtube. I mean for fucking fucks sake fuck your fucking age restrictions once and for fuckall
OneTheory
You can watch the video when you're older.
BurningVeryImportantThings
Found a more versatile word
TheWhiteBarry
Some words have intrinsic meaning such as "three"
Revicus
I think in this context "intrinsic" means something about a particular word could only have been given a particular meaning, which is not the case. The spelling and pronunciation we have for "three" could have ended up something else, or some other word we have could have ended up with those. Imagine a future scenario where "tree" gradually came to be pronounced, and eventually spelled, as "three," for example. Nothing about the word itself prevents that.
DewiMorgan
Even simple and obvious words like "three" are deeply polysemous. Is it referring to a glyph, digit, quantity, time of day, cardinality, 5-letter word, a synecdoche for something with numeric id 3, a trio ("the three set off"), a quality rating ("she's a three")...? Polysemy is such a core part of language and is not really taught very well beyond brief lessons on "homophones".
retailguy
Thanks. I want to learn something new everyday and this is my third new thing.
foreverinchains
No words have any intrinsic meaning.
None.
jayman0123
words are ideas, and they mean whatever we think and say they mean. It's like when Pluto was no longer deemed a planet. The word planet had a meaning that meant a specific thing, and then later, when we realized that word wasn't specific enough, we kept the word planet, and altered it's exact literal meaning.
Someone on here got mad at me a while back for saying this, but I'm going to say it again. Each generation of people gets to decide what words mean and how to use them. Trying to fight 1/
Kbantar
I felt so f*cking vindicated when they announced that. Literally at age 7 in 1981, I disliked Pluto. It was so very "wrong" and different to all others. It's super elliptical orbit; it's not aligning with the plane; it's being a tiny ice rock after the gas giants all messed with my autistic love of order. lol
jayman0123
against the change of the meaning of a word is a waste of time. If enough people think it matters enough to change it and facilitate the change, stubbornly sticking to the old meaning means you're unable to adapt and will be left behind. Just like expanding the definition of say... a gender. If someone states they are of that gender, who am I to say that their view of the world is invalid.
BasiliskXVIII
I'm gonna make a stand here and say that the IAU really needs to take the L and make "dwarf planet" a subcategory of "planet" rather than insisting on it being its own thing. Because that's typically how adjectives work. A dwarf star has wildly different characteristics than a main phase star, but it's still a star. A gas giant planet is a type of planet that's nothing like the rocky balls that otherwise populate the solar system. Earth has a hell of a lot more in common with Ceres than Uranus.
foreverinchains
The main thing that demoted Pluto was the "cleared its orbit" criteria.
Every planet in our solar system has done that, but Pluto has not. That's why Pluto, as well as Ceres and several other bodies, are not considered planets.
The reason for this was that we would either have had to remove one planet from the list, or add a few dozen.
BasiliskXVIII
So instead, they added a whole category of dwarf planets to our solar system which is exactly as much work to categorize, but then they ALSO added a binary between "dwarf planets" and "non-dwarf planets" as distinct categories (which doesn't exist with any other "dwarf" celestial object) instead of just saying they're all planets. With "dwarf" planets being the ones that don't clear their orbits and "major" planets being the ones that do. We therefore have the same 8 major planets we always did.
BasiliskXVIII
The "planet" classification as it stands can only hold up for our solar system. We keep finding exoplanets that are definitionally not "planets" because we have no reasonable way to tell if they have cleared their orbit or not. And by making "dwarf planets" a distinct category from "planet" rather than a subcategory, when we DO find something that blurs the line between a planet and a dwarf planet, it's going to cause a whole new definitional crisis instead of just a minor category puzzle.
usingYourMomAsAHat
Linux is not an acronym for "Linux Is Not UniX"
CrowBones4505
But WINE is an acronym for "WINE Is Not an Emulator"
cousteau
I *think* it started as "Windows Emulator" and was later retrofitted to "Wine Is Not an Emulator" when it started doing more stuff than just emulating.
Septcanmat
But PHP IS an acronym for âPHP: Hypertext Preprocessorâ, and the PHP within that is an acronym for âPHP: Hypertext Preprocessorâ, and the PHP within that isâŚ
0xDEC0DE
I was SO HAPPY when recursive acronyms finally fell out of fashion in the tech community. They were never clever, and they were never funny, and I'm glad that people finally recognised that
jimhotep
*sad nerd noises*
kInADress
GNU however stands for "GNU's Not Unix"
FlatPlutoSociety
I assume that one took off because of GNU.
usingYourMomAsAHat
Ye
cousteau
I pronounce the G in GNU after what it stands for.
RevolutionOnHerLips
But does Ford still mean Found On Road Dead????
TheoreticalString
Yes, and it's still Brain Missing, Watson.
Wolfshead009
I had heard Bavarian Milk Wagon, Supposed to be a reference to the (poor) handling.
PennsylvaniaPalindrome
Don't forget Fix It Again, Tony
Argusdubbs
Dammit Dale that's FIAT
cousteau
In Spain we had "Siempre EstarĂĄs Arreglando TonterĂas" (You'll Always Be Fixing Stupid Shit)
defcon275
I thought it was Fix Or Repair Daily
FlatPlutoSociety
Sigh, no one knows about cars anymore. It obviously stands for Fucked on Race Day.
zFUBARz
Fix It Again Tony... Oh wait that's Fiat...
Bigemedic
SOS isn't really an acronym. It's just easy to click out in Morse code. Dot-dot-dot-dash-dash-dash-dot-dot-dot.
cousteau
Honestly, that doesn't really sound easy to click out at all.
bitemark
Easiest to click out and for non-Morse code users to remember/understand/use themselves
Bigemedic
Three short, three long, three short. Probably the easiest two letters to click out. Most others are a mix of the two.
BlindGardener
French is the international language of shipping, much as English is the international language of aviation, hence why "Pan Pan" is the word that ships use for a lesser emergency (Breakdown, in French, repeated twice and pronounced very poorly), and "Mayday" (M'aide, help me, in French and pronounced very poorly).
If SOS stood for anything at all, it would have to be something in French.
Corin
https://www.imo.org/en/ourwork/safety/pages/standardmarinecommunicationphrases.aspx
The fuck are you talking about?
duktayp
In Morse code, SOS letters are easy to remember: 3 short, 3 long, 3 short: ... --- ...
Snooj
That's how I always heard it even before I knew the initialism. I read it in a Punisher comic.
RobErtE87
M'laidey
jimhotep
It's SOS because it was fast and easy to tap out in Morse Code.
RecurringNightmare
SOS was first introduced by the imperial german navy, so for sure the absolute last thing it would have meant was something in fucking french...
BlindGardener
SOS doesnât stand for anything, but if it did stand for something legally it would have to be something French, because French is the international maritime language.
Even German ship captains use Maritime French to communicate on shipping channels.
RecurringNightmare
pretty sure the international language for radio communication is english, and for sure german ship captains use german to communicate with each other...especially military captains 120 years ago...
ImperfectDad
So you are saying that French is the "lingua franca" of shipping? I'll show myself out...
Xenarion
"M'aider" to be precise (to help me). "M'aide" doesn't have the "ay" sound, and would means "[he] helps me"
"Help me" would be "aides-moi"
BlindGardener
Fine, youâre right, I didnât conjugate it correctly. Itâs mâaidez. (You (command) help me)
Xenarion
That would be "aidez-moi" but fair, probably closer to the origin.
RexFury
i can kind of see it being bastardized though when you have 200 countries trying to speak it. have you seen how americans say notre dame? lol
Xenarion
That is very possible, yes.
Sigge1981
SOS, much like Wi-Fi doesn't stand for anything.
TheUglyGuy
And half the time mine doesn't do anything.
jimhotep
Yes, it's SOS because it's easy to tap out in Morse Code. Wi-Fi is a trademark and a proper name (because they needed a name to call it). They don't have "word" equivalents, but they are based on something. The term is backronym, when words are thought to have an obvious underpinning, and they do not. My favorite is RPG, which is thought to mean "Rocket Propelled Grenade," which is wrong; it's the Russian phrase ruchnoy protivotankovyi granatomyot, meaning a handheld anti-tank grenade launcher.
infernalspectre
https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1MHYxc2FwZ3U1dnM4YTIzbTZ6MDZwcm9nbDZuMzR1eDd6aWw3MzdmdiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/l4FGA2XplwqFDcLwk/200w.webp
duktayp
SOS: 3 short, 3 long, 3 short ... --- ... is easy to remember
garbuhj
Quote from Wikipedia:
"It is disputed whether the name Wi-Fi is short-form for 'Wireless Fidelity',[34] although the Wi-Fi Alliance did use the advertising slogan "The Standard for Wireless Fidelity" for a short time after the brand name was created,[31][35] referenced "the Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) logo" in a white paper[33] and the Wi-Fi Alliance was also called the "Wireless Fidelity Alliance Inc." in some publications."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi
duktayp
iirc, "Hi-Fi" or high fidelity was coined when record players first started emphasizing quality of audio in their speakers. When the Internet came out, "Wi-Fi" just sounded cool
kurastwolf
I thought it stood for Wireless-Fireless : (
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
Its short for Wii-Fii
nccomputermechanics4
If you take a step back to hi-fi devices it stood for high fidelity meaning a better transmission of sound, step forward 50 years wi-fi wireless fidelity, a wireless transmission of data this is the exact reason for the name.
RoboUnicornFishBalls
I prefer it's proper name, IEEE 802.11b.
Excuse me, please can I have your IEEE 802.11b password?
cousteau
Sure! *mistakenly provides the ZigBee password*
jimhotep
What is this, 2007? I think I can send data faster via Messenger Cat than via 10 MB wireless, which had terrible loss problems. :)
JadeNB1729
To be fair, data transfer via messenger cat is also quite lossy.
RoboUnicornFishBalls
1999 actually!
jimhotep
*giggle*
RoboUnicornFishBalls
https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1M3IxZHM5Zzdocm5zNXU2NnNuems1bmRzamQ4aHF5MHpwa2NsMjBrOSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/sWBzg2D15WwQjHcxbt/200w.webp
gablestout
Sure! Admin1
RoboUnicornFishBalls
https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1bGdrZHlqMnBlMjN4bmxhZjhkZ29ucHBoMnE5Z3NkNWFmaWhxNnNhayZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/YQitE4YNQNahy/200w.webp
cousteau
hunter2
gablestout
You and I have been on this site for way too long...
curialis
You need to make that more secure. OK, Admin1!
InfocalypseRising
#1 never heard any of these except SOS
newsguycraigevans
Teacher in school told us the news one.
TheoreticalString
FYI, SOS is because the letter S is three short pulses, the letter O is three long pulses. So three short, three long, three short. ...---... in morse code notation.
Even if the signal operator is dead, anyone can remember and send out the signal. Similarly even if the signal is breaking up (due to a storm, damage, whatever), then even a partial of the signal like ..*static*-... is very recognizable due to it being simple, repetitive, and easy to learn.
michiyl
Likely a backronym then, applying the logic to an acronym after the fact. Like, you had morse code SOS, now find something that fits with ships and emergency. Et voilĂĄ, you have "save our souls" or "save our ship"
0xDEC0DE
It's more like a mnemonic device for remembering it, like ROYGBIV for the colours of a rainbow, etc. But yes.
FlatPlutoSociety
I've never heard the "posh" one, but I've heard the others. I've also met nurses who swear up and down that "coma" stands for "cessation of motor activity," which is bullshit as well.
nomoralcompasss
I thought it was "cum on my ass"
DesperateDunn365
I've heard the posh one. It's something to do with having the room on the ship with the nice view.
Wolfshead009
The version I heard was supposedly going by ship to Australia? where you wanted to be on one side of the ship for one direction, but the other side coming back. IIRC, supposed to want the side the morning sun hit as it stayed cooler.
SubsyServy
Going to India during the Raj and avoiding your cabin being in the sun so it wouldn't get too hot.