"Snow conditions bad - stop - advanced base abandoned yesterday - stop - awaiting improvement."

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on Mt Everest, 1953 (Royal Geographical Society, S0001055)

The ninth British expedition to Everest brought along a journalist, James Morris (not Chris Morris!) of the London Times. To avoid losing a scoop to other journalists who might intercept their wire messages, Morris and his editors worked out a series of code phrases with secret meanings:

Snow conditions bad: Everest climbed

Wind still troublesome: Attempt abandoned

South Col untenable: Band

Lhotse Face impossible: Bourdillon

Ridge camp untenable: Evans

Withdrawal to West Basin: Gregory

Advanced base abandoned: Hillary

Camp 5 abandoned: Hunt

Camp 6 abandoned: Lowe

Camp 7 abandoned: Noyce

Awaiting improvement: Tenzing

Further news follows: Ward

Here and here.