# Censored License Plates? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2002, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512 "2002-04-30T17:57:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![richardb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/96bed5/32.png) [@richardb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richardb)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/21 "2002-05-01T08:25:07Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by mnemosyne \* > **I have also seen a couple of "** _ 666" licence plates too - I’m suprised no one has complained about those! \*\* IIRC, a woman tried to get her own licence plate returned because it had a “666” as part of the rendomly-assigned licence number, and she had to endure ridicule and was ostrasized by her religious friends. The state refused to issue her a new licence plate number. Anyone have a cite or a better recollection of the facts on this one? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/22 "2002-05-01T08:27:58Z")
About a year or two ago my Uncle, after failing to get “MUFFDVR” tried to get the license plate “CLT LKR”. When he got turned down he complained, swearing that it stood for “Charlotte Liker!” ---
**Author:** ![Maloney](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@Maloney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maloney)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/23 "2002-05-01T09:25:57Z")
Every state in Australia allows vanity plates and each also refuses to issue many combinations. I had actually seen 3M TA3 in Perth (WA) but later read about the same plate being refused in NSW. When I worked as a croupier a colleague was refused DEALER while another friend was refused FIG JAM. Incidentally there are many advertisments in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Age selling plates for huge sums. I’ve seen $80,000 asked for a plate. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/24 "2002-05-01T15:16:44Z")
Yeah, the censor them. Just find your states DMV website, then their personalized license plate page & it should have a search that you can use to test plates to see if they are in use or legal. Spiffy. Best one I saw in California was in the 70’s ‘sukface’ ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/25 "2002-05-01T15:30:11Z")
Here in Germany, the offices that issue license plate numbers have strict order not to use certain letter combinations that could be interpreted as Nazi propaganda, like NS or SS. Sounds overanxious, but that’s the way it is. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/26 "2002-05-01T15:54:00Z")
Speaking of Nazi’s, I was surprised to see an NA2I in New Jersey… ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/27 "2002-05-01T16:04:14Z")
One there was a news story about was driving around my neighborhood for a while. I heard a news story about a woman who had the CA plate with “A PUSSY” on it. The reference was intended to be feline rather than gynecological, but the state wanted her to give up the plate, and she fought it. Later, I saw the car in question - in addition to the plate, it had cat related paraphenelia and bumper stickers all over it, so it was pretty obvious what the intent was. Months later, the car was parked in a driveway about a block and half from my house, with a bunch of the stuffed cat toys removed from the back, so I presumed it had been sold. It seems to have disappeared again now. The car itself was unremarkable, so I suppose somebody could have changed the vanity plate. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/28 "2002-05-01T16:05:01Z")
My favorite one that got past the NJ DMV censors belonged to a friend of a friend. It included the letters “CYKA.” You won’t get it unless you read Cyrillic; it’s Russian for “bitch.” Of course, with my luck some DMV inspector in New Jersey will read this and recall her plates. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/29 "2002-05-02T08:02:42Z")
A family friend has a 666 plate. They’ve had it on 3 different cars, and none of them has ever needed significant repairs. So they see it as weird little good luck charm. I also recall a bunch of people returning their plates that had “FAT” for the letter part. I can’t recall which state, though. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/30 "2002-05-02T19:47:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alphagene \* > \*\* > IIRC, A few years ago there was a story in the Washington Post about someone who complained to the DMV about a personalized license plate she saw. She felt that a BMW with the plate **ISL CRK** was a crack dealer flaunting his wealth and thumbing his nose at law-abiding society. Made a huge stink of it. > > Turned out the guy just had some property on Island Creek he was proud of. \*\* The article was a Bob Levy column from 1994. You can find it on the Post’s archive if you search for “ISL CRK” exact phrase. You can’t see the entire article without paying for it but the license plate is mentioned in the first paragraph. In 1989 Bob Levy also railed against a plate that said RX 4 FUN, translating it as “drugs for fun” and getting his hapless self all in a tizzy. I saw this plate myself once and it was on a Mazda–you guessed it–RX7. I wrote Bob to tell him that Rx means “prescription,” not “drugs.” ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/31 "2002-05-02T20:36:24Z")
I have seen the following foreign language plates RS LOCH (Arschloch, German, Asshole) ME REET (Dutch, my ass) DKKELUL (Dikke Lul, Dutch, lit Fat Penis) KLTZAK (klootzak, Dutch lit. scrotum) YOB VA (Russian, I believe means F… you) I Drive a lot, and get bored easily. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/32 "2002-05-02T21:25:22Z")
3M TA3? Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/33 "2002-05-02T21:31:25Z")
Oh. Nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/34 "2002-05-03T00:17:15Z")
A standup commedian suggested PMS 666 I personally like PA65000 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/35 "2002-05-03T00:25:35Z")
I saw this in North Carolina years ago: QQQQ (Answer below) “four Q” (f–k you) Yes, it’s not that clever, but it did pass. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/36 "2002-05-03T02:37:46Z")
Here’s my favorite, that I saw in MO 4NICK8 I don’t know how it got through, but it was certainly the most clever one I had seen. ---
**Author:** ![typo\_mna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eb8c5e/32.png) [@typo\_mna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typo_mna)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/37 "2002-05-03T02:41:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pesch \* > \*\*I saw this in North Carolina years ago: > > QQQQ > \*\* I seem to recall reading about someone who had the plate: 6Q 2Q He put a bit of tape between the first Q and the 2, to resemble a minus sign. End result? 4Q. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/38 "2002-05-03T03:47:08Z")
There was a story in the Washington Post years ago about a guy who managed to get GOVT SUX as plates, then got them seized back when the censors figured it out. Now, “SUX” is banned from all new plates. When I worked delivering pizza 12 years ago, a driver at the neighboring store had FOAD MF. Dunno how long he kept that before it was figured out. More recently, a lesbian couple had DYKES for their SUV’s plates. People said it was offensive, but then it was asked “To who?” I guess if a black person got NIGGER plates, that’d be OK. I’d like to get AWB someday, because it’s both my initials, and who I am (average white boy). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/39 "2002-05-03T04:45:12Z")
FOAD MF? Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/40 "2002-05-03T06:34:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by postcards \* > \*\*FOAD MF? > > Huh? \*\* Maybe “fuck off and die, motherfucker?” (just a stab) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512.md?page=3)