# Custom Licence Plates — Seen in the Wild **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2023, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965 "2023-11-11T02:25:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 88
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2025, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1741 "2025-08-26T17:34:53Z")
I just saw LAF (License Applied For). That seems like one of those plates that’s going to result in you getting mailed dozens of tickets. Like getting NONE or NO PLATE. And, let me tell you, as someone that got mailed dozens of tickets (due to a dealership mistake), it’s a PITA to sort out. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1742 "2025-08-26T18:13:10Z")
Today I saw an Porsche 911 Carrera with **911⎵LYF**. I also saw a Miami Dolphins fan plate with **27⎵⎵⎵AJ**. Or at least that’s what I thought I saw. But my hastily typed note says it was either 27 or 37 and either AJ or AF. I did find one player with initials AJ who briefly wore #37. Maybe this was him. If the plate really was **27 AJ** then I have no clue what that might mean. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2025, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1743 "2025-08-26T22:08:09Z")
Driving to dinner I found a Porsche with **MY991** on a 5-character limited plate. The 991 being a particular generation of Porsche’s venerable 911 series. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2025, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1744 "2025-08-27T16:14:14Z")
This morning I found **ELL⎵UCE** on an SUV driven by a 50-something white guy in a dress shirt & tie. Perhaps a re-spelled Spanish “El luz” = “the light”, a common Spanish idiom for god or jesus? ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2025, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1745 "2025-08-27T16:29:45Z")
Although Jesus is male, Light is female in Spanish, so he would not be referred to as El Luz, it would be La Luz, as how it appears in the Reina Valera (Kind of like the Spanish KJV): > Juan 8:12 Reina-Valera 1960 > > Otra vez Jesús les habló, diciendo: Yo soy la luz del mundo; el que me sigue, no andará en tinieblas, sino que tendrá la luz de la vida. For me the UCE sounds more Italian or Portuguese, but I can’t come up with a possible meaning. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2025, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1746 "2025-08-27T17:01:27Z")
Thanks. The “ELL” part might just be standing for the letter “L”. So the whole thing means “LUCE” which is a standard enough surname in the USA. As to the space, the graphic design of a standard FL plate background means the leftmost 3 and rightmost 3 characters are readily readable, but anything in the middle space and a half are pretty much illegible. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1747 "2025-08-28T23:34:34Z")
Saw **PAOLITA** on the way home today. When I Googled that I got lots of hits for swimwear…? I haven’t been going into the office as much so not as many plates to report. The main road I take to work is closed for construction and the detour is a nightmare so I’m only going in when I absolutely have to. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2025, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1748 "2025-08-29T00:07:30Z")
Two easy ones; **18HOLES** , and **SCUBIE** on an Impreza. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1749 "2025-08-29T14:20:50Z")
I had a good haul yesterday. - **ARTSE** on the FL art booster plate with its 5 character limit. - **HAPPI** on the FL breast cancer plate with its 5 character limit. You go girl! - **LVE2DAY** on a standard plate. - **MS⎵REBEL** also on a standard plate. Nothing to indicate if that’s their attitude or their alma mater. - **IR1SH⎵2**. Being Irish is evidently popular enough you need creative spelling and a number to get that plate. - **POET-JK** on an out-of-state plate. I forget which state. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2025, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1750 "2025-09-02T14:53:35Z")
Yesterday I ran across **EMPYR**. The plate was not FL nor NY nor NJ, but I only got a quick look so I’m not sure where they were from. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2025, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1751 "2025-09-02T15:44:29Z")
Illinois. 😃 Before it became a national brand, [Empire Carpets’ ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRhGVo_dwkk) – and that earworm of a jingle – were omnipresent on Chicago television. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1752 "2025-09-02T15:59:19Z")
800-588-2300…Empire Haven’t seen one of those ads in decades and that number is still burned into my brain. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1753 "2025-09-03T00:08:47Z")
I braved the nightmare detour today to go into the office and was rewarded with a nice variety of plates. **MYAH** on the new Indiana “blackout” plate, I’m assuming someone’s name **BIZZLE**?? **CALLIE7** **NELLY1 -** I might have these two backwards, it might have been Callie1 and Nelly7, I don’t remember **BZ LINKS** in the parking garage, also on the new blackout plate And finally **MADHAVI** on my way home. I think this could have been a former neighbor of mine, that was her name and I could see just enough of the driver to believe it was her. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1754 "2025-09-03T01:22:56Z")
I saw **EZIII** today. Might be “Easy 3” or some guy w initials “EZ” same as his dad and granddad. The driver was an upper 60s, maybe 70s, white dude in a suitably conservative sedan. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1755 "2025-09-03T01:25:56Z")
Seen today, on a dark blue C7 Corvette convertible, with Illinois commemorative “Route 66” plates: **LSHARK**. I’m going to guess “Landshark” rather than “Loan Shark.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1756 "2025-09-03T01:44:19Z")
Down here we’d be thinking “El shark”. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1757 "2025-09-03T12:06:59Z")
**R3DRUBY** on a red Ford. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1758 "2025-09-03T13:20:33Z")
Saw **JAWX** and **CRNCK** on the way out this morning. The latter might be “crank” or “chronic” or a compressed last name. I vaguely recall “Chronic” was the name of some street drug a long time ago. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1759 "2025-09-03T15:28:32Z")
On the next leg of today’s peregrinations I came across **MIAMI⎵MK**. The plate was an FL standard plate but the frame was from suburban Chicago. I expect the driver’s name was Mike. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1760 "2025-09-03T15:49:57Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I vaguely recall “Chronic” was the name of some street drug a long time ago. Slang for high-quality cannabis, as I understand it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=87) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=89)