# My, sir, what a lovely vanity plate you have! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 4, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792 "2008-06-04T20:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/21 "2008-06-05T01:16:35Z")
Mostly people get caught by uptight do-gooders writing to the DMV and informing them of the dirty license plate. The Smoking Gun has a few collections of such letters to various DMVs. [Example](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/wiscplates1.html) ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/22 "2008-06-05T01:22:09Z")
Just yesterday, I saw a car with a California plate that said “4KAJ000”. Took me a while to parse it out. Fork a Jew? Uuuuhhhh . . . Is this an offer, a recommendation, or an order? I couldn’t even decide if it was pro- or anti-semetic. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/23 "2008-06-05T01:28:59Z")
A few months ago, I saw one that read VASH TS. Nerdy enough for you? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/24 "2008-06-05T01:34:58Z")
Who the fuck tattles on vanity plates? Talk about buzzkills. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/25 "2008-06-05T01:38:01Z")
And now, the obligatory “Only in Utah” post. The DMV here received a complaint about a plate seen in Salt Lake City reading **MERLOT**. The owner was ordered to turn the plate back in to the DMV, as it was promoting alcohol, which we all know is bad for Utah residents. Also rejected by the Utah DMV were **GLADI8R** , **BYUH8R** , and **BANDIDO** , however, the English version, **BANDIT** was approved. Interesting that **1PIRATE** was turned down, but **PIRATE** was approved. It took an administrative law judge to tell the DMV that **GAYSROK** was acceptable. [Cite](http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/68065) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/26 "2008-06-05T01:40:55Z")
[QUOTE=phouka] Just yesterday, I saw a car with a California plate that said “4KAJ000”. Took me a while to parse it out… Is this an offer, a recommendation, or an order? I couldn’t even decide if it was pro- or anti-semetic. [/QUOTE] It might just have been the next in the sequence after 4KAI999. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/27 "2008-06-05T02:01:11Z")
[QUOTE=phouka] Just yesterday, I saw a car with a California plate that said “4KAJ000”. Took me a while to parse it out. Fork a Jew? [/QUOTE] California standard plates are of the form #LLL### so that can’t have been a vanity plate. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/28 "2008-06-05T02:07:54Z")
I’m the only one who had no idea what it meant? I sent the link to a friend, who then gave me a wiki link. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/29 "2008-06-05T02:12:16Z")
[QUOTE=hajario] Mostly people get caught by uptight do-gooders writing to the DMV and informing them of the dirty license plate. The Smoking Gun has a few collections of such letters to various DMVs. [Example](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/wiscplates1.html) [/QUOTE] “Various” DMVs? WTF is going on in Wisconsin? 😉 CA recently recalled a plate bearing a couple’s initials- his are RAP and hers are JAP. Yep- somebody thought that RAPNJAP was offensive to Asian hip hop artists… ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/30 "2008-06-05T02:15:12Z")
Could you see right up the tailpipe? ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/31 "2008-06-05T04:16:11Z")
[QUOTE=Mama Tiger] it’s done phonetically; so TP=F and BG=K. [/QUOTE] How are TP and BG phonetic for F and K? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/32 "2008-06-05T04:40:09Z")
[Stenotype Chords](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenotype#Chords) Not phonetic at all. Just stenographer’s ways of writing the letters. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/33 "2008-06-05T04:55:09Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] “Various” DMVs? WTF is going on in Wisconsin? 😉 [/QUOTE] I just linked to the Wisconsin one. There are other ones too. [Washington](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/washplates1.html) ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/34 "2008-06-05T04:57:53Z")
[QUOTE=Speaker for the Dead] I was expecting that A55 RGY one, with the (O-shaped) Florida peach in the middle. [/QUOTE] Orange. Florida has an orange. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/35 "2008-06-05T05:28:08Z")
[QUOTE=phouka] Just yesterday, I saw a car with a California plate that said “4KAJ000”. Took me a while to parse it out. Fork a Jew? Uuuuhhhh . . . Is this an offer, a recommendation, or an order? I couldn’t even decide if it was pro- or anti-semetic. [/QUOTE] You parse too hard. California DMV rules don’t allow a number/letter, letter, letter/number, number, number vanity plate. It interferes with their regular plate run and is therefore not allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/36 "2008-06-05T05:30:29Z")
To those who may be unaware, Pennsylvania only issues one plate, which is put in the back of the vehicle. This makes the OP even funnier, as you can only read it from the rear. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/37 "2008-06-05T05:31:45Z")
[QUOTE=BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed] How are TP and BG phonetic for F and K? 😕 [/QUOTE] Sorry, I stated that badly. The phonetic referred to the fact that words are written phonetically, so F-U-K instead of F-U-C-K; the letter combinations are just ways of writing letters that aren’t on the keyboard. Stenotype is just a way of using a machine to write shorthand, so it’s phonetic like handwritten shorthand. Anyway, the plate translated to an obscenity, ignoring my badly phrased explanations. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/38 "2008-06-05T07:37:50Z")
I spent a few years living in Oklahoma years ago, and there was a minor mention once that someone’s vanity plate was revoked. It read “OUI-OUI” Evidently, someone thought this was a euphemism for urination and got offended. People are idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/39 "2008-06-05T10:02:37Z")
[QUOTE=phouka] Just yesterday, I saw a car with a California plate that said “4KAJ000”. Took me a while to parse it out. Fork a Jew? Uuuuhhhh . . . Is this an offer, a recommendation, or an order? I couldn’t even decide if it was pro- or anti-semetic. [/QUOTE] Ignoring the fact that, as others state, it’s just a standard plate, I didn’t get the Jew reference at all. I’d read it in an Italian accent, in which, of course, the “J” is pronounced like a “Y”. _Now_ it’s offensive. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792/40 "2008-06-05T10:50:32Z")
> [@](#): > > originally posted by R **uns With Scissors:** > I’m the only one who had no idea what it meant? Nope, I too was clueless. But Google is a wonderful educator. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sir-what-a-lovely-vanity-plate-you-have/451792.md?page=3)