ABC’s AT DMV

Mary Ann Hardee was not hip to the significance of her license plate until she caught her grandchildren giggling at it.

They told her the "WTF" letter combination on her plate is a profane acronym used by many who send text messages. It means "What the f--."

It used to be DMV officials just worried about the vanity plates, paying close attention to applicants’ requests. But text messaging has added a new wrinkle. Think LOL for "laughing out loud" or NME for "enemy." That means some standard combinations can spell trouble for the DMV.

A few weeks ago, the DMV recalled plates that began with XXX.

A scan of the new list of three-letter combinations the DMV is using this year - matched up with the text message directory on netlingo.com - doesn’t show any other potential embarrassments.

---

-McClatchy Newspapers

---

Advertisement