In the days before the internet, news reports were sent by telegraph, which used Morse code. In order to speed up the process they had an extensive set of abbreviations/code words for commonly used words, known as the Phillips Code after Walter Phillips who developed it for the Associated Press. The code word for the end/no more at the end of a reporter's piece was 30 .
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
Sir, I once came across the following statements: "Yesterday, my ailing friend was lively. Today, he finally wrote 30." In this context, is it right to infer that his friend finally died? What do you think?Blue JayIn the world of journalism, Write 30 means declare the end of something.