# "142"? Very Funny, Mr. Jackson **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 27, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193 "2009-06-27T20:06:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193/41 "2009-06-29T16:26:23Z")
> [@wonderlust](#): > > Knees? Goggles. See? 🆒 = (@)(@) ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193/42 "2009-06-29T16:58:42Z")
I first heard of the 143 thing in, I think, one of the Judy Blume books. The main character’s older sister and her boyfriend used it as a code when he would honk the horn when her arrived to pick her up at the house. Just one more data point that this predates texting. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193/43 "2009-06-29T18:19:58Z")
> [@swallowed my cellphone](#): > > goggles. See? 🆒 = (@)(@) 1. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193/44 "2009-06-29T18:39:42Z")
Maybe he means “I love MJ”. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193/45 "2009-06-29T18:50:01Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > Goggles. See? 🆒 = (@)(@) _Hypno_-goggles. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193/46 "2009-06-29T19:41:56Z")
I don’t know the origin, but I do know that my friend’s girlfriend used to send him “143” on his numeric pager, back before cell phones were everywhere (mid 90s). Maybe that’s where it started. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193/47 "2009-06-29T20:15:06Z")
AHHHH! WTF? I had to look these up and now I’m getting 831 and 459 ALSO mean I Love You. Also, ^5 is high five, 420 is let’s get high, and 6Y is sexy??? Yes, this IS the death of the English language. When we only start using 1s and 0s, I guess John Connor WAS right! :eek: (Incidentally, is there a text for Yabba Dabba Doo?) ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193/48 "2009-06-29T20:24:46Z")
Soon English will be dead and it will be time for Esperanto to rise again and assume its rightful dominent place! BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! or not ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193/49 "2009-06-29T20:55:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > There is some lighthouse on the US East coast whose light pattern is 1-4-3. The coast Guard was going to shut it down to save $. There was a huge protest against killing the “I love you” lightouse. Most of the protesters were over 50. The CG relented. > > [http://lighthousestars.com/2008/02/14/minots-ledge-i-love-you-lighthouse-143/](http://lighthousestars.com/2008/02/14/minots-ledge-i-love-you-lighthouse-143/) To follow up on this, here is more info on the Minot Lighthouse that claims it as the source of the code: [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A22808162](http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A22808162) ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193/50 "2009-06-29T21:42:49Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > Soon English will be dead and it will be time for Esperanto to rise again and assume its rightful dominent place! BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! > > or not Baldaŭ La angla estos mortinta kaj estos tempo por Esperanto releviĝ kaj supozi sia(n) laŭrajta dominent loko! BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! ĉu, aŭ ĉu ne, [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/142-very-funny-mr-jackson/501193.md?page=2)