Where does the word "mayday" (as in SOS emergency call) come from.?
410233
The Mayday callsign was originated in 1923 by Frederick Stanley Mockford (1897-1962) [2]. Whilst senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London, Mockford was asked to think of a word that would indicate distress and would easily be understood by all pilots and ground staff in an emergency. Since much of the traffic at the time was between Croydon and Le Bourget Airport in Paris, he proposed the word "Mayday" from the French m'aidez.
229099
The mid-day of the week is named for the Norse God, Odin. He was also known as Woden or Wotan. Unlike many of the other days of the week, this day did not correspond roughly with the Roman designation for the day. (The Roman's named Wednesday for the messenger God - Mercury - In Romanian, the day is still known as miercuri). The early Scandanavians and Germans believed that Odin was the chief God of Asgard and as such deserved to have a day of the week named for him. The Anglo-Saxons used the word, Wodnesdaeg. \nWednesday is often reffered to as "hump day" because of its position as the middle day of the work week. If the work week were a hill. Then Wednesday would be the crest. It is all down hill from there. (Whether the down hill ride is a coast or a descent into a swamp is left to the individual.) \n\nOnly one holiday typically recurs yearly upon Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the official begining of lent. It is called "Ash" Wednesday because since the 400's it has been the day upon which religious penitent's foreheads are marked with ash. It is a reminder of the mortal condition of the flesh - that we are all dust. This day is a variable date dependent on the date which easter falls.
98950
"Who chose cake?"\n\nIt's exact etymology is unclear but this much is certain: the British coined the phrase. \n\n"The first documented appearance of the term is in 1943, in an small book of British military slang, although sources claim it was used in the RAF throughout World War Two, and was originally a Yorkshire dialect term in use at least since 1914."
22506
In 1967, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) met with AT&T to establish such an emergency number. They wanted a number that was short and easy to remember. More importantly, they needed a unique number, and since 911 had never been designated for an office code, area code or service code, that was the number they chose.\n\nSoon after, the U.S. Congress agreed to support 911 as the emergency number standard for the nation and passed legislation making 911 the exclusive number for any emergency calling service. A central office was set up by the Bell System to develop the infrastructure for the system.\n\nOn February 16, 1968, Alabama Senator Rankin Fite made the first 911 call in the United States in Haleyville, Alabama. The Alabama Telephone Company carried the call. A week later, Nome, Alaska, implemented a 911 system. In 1973, the White House's Office of Telecommunication issued a national statement supporting the use of 911 and pushed for the establishment of a Federal Information Center to assist government agencies in implementing the system. \n\nView my source for more detailed information on this topic...
581178
For what I know, May used to be the third month of the year. January and February seem to have been added in Ancient Rome. This is the reason why September, October, November and December don't match their ethimologic begginings anymore (sept means seven, octo means eight, nove means nine, dece means ten). I hope this is what you were looking for!
873765
It actually came from the war it was a code that meant zero killed... \nSimply amazing isnt it..\nwho would ever guessed that that abbreviation would come into  every day conversation..
644636
I understand it to mean, don't be fooled by May's seemingly milder weather. Don't start going out without jackets etc. Many people get sick in May because of this, I know because I am from Ireland and the weather can be very deceiving. So basically don't take off your coat till June....
442727
I think Beltane or May Day is the Pagan New Year or Halloween.\n Per All Knowing Wikipedia.org:\n"The origin of this custom has been much disputed, and many theories have been suggested, e.g. that it is a farcical commemoration of Christ being sent from Annas to Caiaphas, from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate, the crucifixion having taken place about the 1st of April.\n\nWhat seems certain is that it is in some way or other a relic of those once universal festivities held at the vernal equinox, which, beginning on old New Year's day, the 25th of March, ended on the 1st of April.\n\nIt has been suggested that Europe derived its April-fooling from the French [1]. They were the first nation to adopt the reformed Gregorian calendar, Charles IX in 1564 decreeing that the year should begin with the 1st of January. Thus the New Year's gifts and visits of felicitation which had been the feature of the 1st of April became associated with the first day of January, and those who disliked or did not hear about the change were fair game for those wits who amused themselves by sending mock presents and paying calls of pretended ceremony on the 1st of April. However, it is unlikely that this explanation of April Fool's Day’s origin is correct. Well before 1582, when King Charles IX of France brought in the new Gregorian calendar, French and Dutch references from respectively 1508 and 1539 describe April Fool's Day jokes and the custom of making them on the first of April.\n\nThough the 1st of April appears to have been anciently observed in Great Britain as a general festival, it was apparently not until the beginning of the 18th century that the making of April-fools was a common custom. In Scotland the custom was known as "hunting the gowk," i.e. the cuckoo, and April-fools were "April-gowks," the cuckoo being there, as it is in most lands, a term of contempt. In France the person fooled is known as poisson d'avril. This has been explained from the association of ideas arising from the fact that in April the sun quits the zodiacal sign of the fish. A far more natural explanation would seem to be that the April fish would be a young fish and therefore easily caught.\n\nThe Dutch have their own reason. Back in 1572, the Netherlands were still ruled by Spain's King Phillip II. There were roaming Dutch rebels who called themselves Geuzen, after the French "gueux", meaning beggars. On April 1, 1572, they took a small coastal town called Den Briel. This event was also the start of the general civil rising against the Spanish in other cities in the Netherlands. General Alva of the Spanish army could not do much. Bril is the Dutch word for glasses, so on April 1, 1572, "Alva lost his glasses". Dutch people find this joke so hilarious they still commemorate the first of April."
194485
From the beginning, the SOS distress signal has actually consisted of a continuous sequence of three-dits/three-dahs/three-dits, all run together. In International Morse Code, three dits form the letter S, and three dahs make the letter O, so "SOS" became an easy way to remember the correct order of the dits and dahs. In modern terminology, SOS is a "procedural signal" or "prosign", and the formal way to show that there are no internal spaces when it is sent is to write it with a bar above the letters, i.e. .)\n\nIn popular usage, SOS became associated with phrases such as "Save Our Souls", "Save Our Ship", and "Send out Sailors". However, these phrases were a later development, most likely used to help remember the correct letters — something known as a backronym.
679176
How about something from Latin, such as "carpe diem" which means "seize the day" or "tempus fugit" which means "time flies" or "facta non verba" which means "deeds not words" or "cogito ergo sum" which means "I think, therefore I am"?\n\nThese links may help.
815306
I usually hear it as, "I wouldn't even give him the time of day."  It means the person is untrustworthy and doesn't deserve anything--- \nnot even the time of day (which is free to give).  It's using irony (look it up in your dictionary).
1455
Its analogous to "every which way" or "as much/often as possible."  According to lastsource.com (which is linked below in cached form, as I was having trouble accessing the site), the phrase originated in Rome during the early days of Christianity:  In order to encourage Church-goers to show up to Mass on time, the parish priest would have the last person to arrive beaten mercilessly the other 6 days of the week.
126768
SOS does not actually mean save our souls or save our ship.  We were just joking about this at the office & I found the site below-lots of great info.\n\nAt the second Berlin Radiotelegraphic Conference 1906, the subject of a danger signal was again addressed. Considerable discussion ensued and finally SOS was adopted. The thinking was that three dots, three dashes and three dots could not be misinterpreted.  It was to be sent together as one string.\n\nwww.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/060199tip6.htm
223910
In English military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. Whilst the initial D in D-day is not an abbreviation of anything, it is taken from the word day and represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will or has occurred
308790
Came from General George Patton during WWII.  It stands for \n"Situation Normal All Fouled Up"  One may substitute a different word starting with "F" should one be so inclined. The original I believe used by General Patton was the substitute word beginning with "F".
589272
May Day used to be a religous Holiday in most European countries. It was taken over by the lefties of the world.
353143
SOS is the commonly used description for the International Morse code distress signal (· · · - - - · · · ). This distress signal was first adopted by the German government in radio regulations effective April 1, 1905, and became the worldwide standard when it was included in the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention, which was signed on November 3, 1906, and became effective on July 1, 1908.\n\nFrom the beginning, the SOS distress signal has actually consisted of a continuous sequence of three-dits/three-dahs/three-dits, all run together without letter spacing. In International Morse Code, three dits form the letter S, and three dahs make the letter O, so "SOS" became an easy way to remember the correct order of the dits and dahs. In modern terminology, SOS is a "procedural signal" or "prosign", and the formal way to show that there are no internal spaces when it is sent is to write it with a bar above the letters, i.e. .)\n\nIn popular usage, SOS became associated with phrases such as "Save Our Souls", "Save Our Ship", and "Send out Sailors". However, these phrases were a later development, most likely used to help remember the correct letters — something known as a backronym.