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| Travel Tip Aug 08 |
| Take time to learn some useful phrases in the language of the country you are visiting. Being able to say only please and thankyou can go a long way. |
Travel Home > Directory > Travel Dictionary > M > Mayday
MAYDAY. A radio signal word used to denote a distress call. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning 'come to my aid'/"come [to] help me." A Mayday situation is one in which a vessel, aircraft, vehicle, or person is in grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance from associate rescue services. Examples of "grave and imminent danger" in which a mayday call would be appropriate include fire, aircraft down, sinking ship, explosion or sinking.
Mayday is an emergency code word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. The call is always given three times in a row ("Mayday Mayday Mayday") to prevent mistaking it for some similar-sounding phrase under noisy conditions, and to distinguish an actual mayday call from a message about a mayday call.
