There are many and varied reactions to personalized car number plates from ’it’s a bit of fun’ to ‘clear sign of personal inadequacy.’
However I didn’t think either of these when following a car with such numberplates this evening. I thought ‘Yes, but why?’
The numberplate read RISK OO (or to be precise R15KOO, but it was arranged to read RISK OO). What was that all about?
- An imagined conversation? – ’You’re a risk on the road!’ / ‘Oo(h you are awful, but I like you!)’
- Baby talk? ’Oo’s a big risk, den? Is ums?’
- A really dangerous wrecker of OO model railway layouts?
The mind boggles.
IT’S A FACT
Brian,
I went for a job interview with DVLA only last week. The “n” of cherished plates in Glasgow is one of highest in the UK.
As such, (in and out of office) staff are always trying to figure out the meaning of plates like this.
I’ve no idea what that’s supposed to mean either.
I remember (from primary school – now that’s impressive) an owl rescue centre’s van that had the number plate OWL 2IT which I thought was pretty cool.
A girl I worked with in the States one summer had XPHILE. She was a bit scary.
Two of the cars parked at the smallholders’ get-together I attended on Sunday had registrations E10 HEN and E10 EGG, which I thought rather sweet.
I can explain the existence of personalized plates in terms of evolutionary psychology (though I expect you can explain most things with evolutionary psychology). People or animals that spend finite resources on completely useless things are sending a message that they are so wealthy (evolutionarily fit) that they have energy/fitness to spare. Look up ‘stotting’ and ‘potlatch’.
Henry, your comment reminds me of one of those sketch shows where a car had one of those green bars across the top of the windscreen with “Phil” on one side and “Liz” on the other.
I wonder if the OO might be double O as in 007, though if so it’s extremely feeble. (Indicating this is someone who would be a risk if they had double O status?)
And then the pedant in me thought, but it’s not really double O at all, is it? It’s double zero. Recall all those Bond films immediately.