@ Basil
Don't forget that a controller may not be listening solely to the frequency being worked.
Could be speaking to another controller or using intercom and miss part of a truncated call - or even saying "Milk, one sugar."
EXACTLY!!! That's yet ANOTHER reason to use "MAYDAY X3", apart from it being standard phraseology, because this alerts everybody on the frequency and now you become number one on the controllers attention list.