Licence Plate Letter Fun

[PsychoticEpisode]

I used to drive quite a bit and to some extent I still do. I'm no speed merchant and I generally obey the posted maximum, rarely do I feel rushed to get somewhere. So I get passed a lot. On one day years ago I started looking at the plates of the cars that passed by. A great majority of them have 3 or 4 letters and some numbers. Personalized plates weren't in vogue at the time that I came up with this little vocabulary pastime that kept me sharp during those longer excursions.

What I would do is take the plates only with 3 or 4 letters in them and make up the shortest word I could think of containing those letters in the exact order I saw them in. For example the letters XPLD became the word explained. I'd do this for most plates except those without the 3 or 4 letter sequence. I still do this today.

One day I had a passenger with me and we modified my driving pastime into a true game. My friend and I would alternate, one licence plate for him and the next car that passed was mine, and so on. The scoring system was like golf, one point for each letter in the word you make up and when one of you reached 200 or whatever, the game was over and the low man won. If you could not come up with a legitimate word then it cost you 20 points. For example as in above , explained would be worth 9 points. Helps to have a scrabble dictionary with you when in competition. The game can be varied and modified but you get the basics.

I've heard of other word games associated with licence plates and if anybody has one I hope they could post it here.

[MacGyver1968]

Sounds like a great way to burn time on a long journey. Bet the kids would like it. We played a different game called "beetle"..where everytime you see a VW bug, you try to be the first to yell "beetle" and punch the other contestant on the shoulder. :)

[John Connellan]

I used to play games like this on long trips to the country but I bet I couldn't even make out license plates anymore until they're way too close to take in all the letters at once :)

[Syzygys]

Sounds like a great way to burn time on a long journey. Bet the kids would like it. We played a different game called "beetle"..where everytime you see a VW bug, you try to be the first to yell "beetle" and punch the other contestant on the shoulder. :)

This has a way more fun version, the drinking game, in a car...

[Idle Mind]

Here's a variation you'll be into, Mac:

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/making_rules.png

[tim840]

I used to drive quite a bit and to some extent I still do. I'm no speed merchant and I generally obey the posted maximum, rarely do I feel rushed to get somewhere. So I get passed a lot. On one day years ago I started looking at the plates of the cars that passed by. A great majority of them have 3 or 4 letters and some numbers. Personalized plates weren't in vogue at the time that I came up with this little vocabulary pastime that kept me sharp during those longer excursions.

What I would do is take the plates only with 3 or 4 letters in them and make up the shortest word I could think of containing those letters in the exact order I saw them in. For example the letters XPLD became the word explained. I'd do this for most plates except those without the 3 or 4 letter sequence. I still do this today.

One day I had a passenger with me and we modified my driving pastime into a true game. My friend and I would alternate, one licence plate for him and the next car that passed was mine, and so on. The scoring system was like golf, one point for each letter in the word you make up and when one of you reached 200 or whatever, the game was over and the low man won. If you could not come up with a legitimate word then it cost you 20 points. For example as in above , explained would be worth 9 points. Helps to have a scrabble dictionary with you when in competition. The game can be varied and modified but you get the basics.

I've heard of other word games associated with licence plates and if anybody has one I hope they could post it here.

Sounds like a fun game; I'll have to try it some time. Another fun road game is to try and find all the letters of the alphabet, in order, on signs, license plates, whatever you see outside the car. Whoever finds every letter of the alphabet first, in the correct order, wins. It's also fun, if you're going on a looong trip, to look and see how many different state license plates you can find.

Sounds like a great way to burn time on a long journey. Bet the kids would like it. We played a different game called "beetle"..where everytime you see a VW bug, you try to be the first to yell "beetle" and punch the other contestant on the shoulder. :)

We've always called it "Slugbug." Same game though. I remember one time I was playing that with a friend of mine and we drove past a VW dealership!! whole parking lots filled with slugbugs... it was insane

[Asguard]

i use number plates to practice the phronetic alphabet because i need to learn it:p

[Orleander]

Sounds like a great way to burn time on a long journey. Bet the kids would like it. We played a different game called "beetle"..where everytime you see a VW bug, you try to be the first to yell "beetle" and punch the other contestant on the shoulder. :)

yep, my kids and husband still play it. They call it Slug Bug.

[Orleander]

We also do a lot of alphabet things.
Have to name a mammal (city, bird, lives in water, etc) that starts with A. B. C. etc
Have to name a song with a colour in the title. If you want to win that one, learn your xmas songs.

[John Connellan]

We also do a lot of alphabet things.
Have to name a mammal (city, bird, lives in water, etc) that starts with A. B. C. etc
Have to name a song with a colour in the title. If you want to win that one, learn your xmas songs.


The only colour xmas songs have in them is white right :confused:;)

[Fraggle Rocker]

The only colour xmas songs have in them is white, right?I could have just mentioned "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but I thought I'd be a real wise-guy instead:BLUE CHRISTMAS Elvis Presley - I'll have a blue Christmas without you. I'll feel so blue thinking about you. Decorations of red On a green Christmas tree Won't be the same, Dear, If you're not here with me. - And when those blue snowflakes start falling, Thats when those blue memories start calling. Youll be doing all right With your Christmas of white, But I'll have a blue, blue Christmas.

[John Connellan]

OK, so you found 2 xmas songs with a colour other than white :rolleyes::)

[Fraggle Rocker]

OK, so you found 2 Xmas songs with a colour other than white.Yeah but the Elvis has three colors, so it counts as three.:)

How about a perfectly respectable old traditional carol:

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green.
Here we come a-wand'ring
So fair to be seen.

Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too,
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year.
And God send you a Happy New Year.

[John Connellan]

Yeah but the Elvis has three colors, so it counts as three.:)

Yeah but the original game was You have to name a song with a colour in the title. If you want to win that one, learn your xmas songs.

Ha ha, I win :p

[Fraggle Rocker]

Yeah but the original game wasYou have to name a song with a colour in the title.The title of the Elvis song is "Blue Christmas."

And, again, there's Gene Autry's #1 hit-parade song from 1949, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." The entire story of Rudolph began as an advertising campaign during the Depression. Since then it rapidly became part of the Christmas canon and has since spread into the legends of other countries, including Finland, where Joulupukki's reindeer don't even fly.

[John Connellan]

Which is what I've said in my original post :rolleyes:

OK, so you found 2 xmas songs with a colour other than white :rolleyes::)

[Orleander]

rudolph the red nosed reindeer
silver bells
white christmas
blue christmas

and with 5 kids, those songs saved me.

[John Connellan]

rudolph the red nosed reindeer
silver bells
white christmas
blue christmas

and with 5 kids, those songs saved me.

OK, we're up to 3 :D

I still think I made a point about this particular game (i.e. it's v hard to play :p)

[tim840]

OK, we're up to 3 :D

I still think I made a point about this particular game (i.e. it's v hard to play :p)

the game wasnt just christmas songs, though. you could use any song with a color in the title, if i remember correctly. so things like "green sleeves" "am i blue" "red river valley" "courtesy of the red white and blue" "mellow yellow" "purple haze" all work too. its not an easy game, but its not "very hard"

[tim840]

We also do a lot of alphabet things.
Have to name a mammal (city, bird, lives in water, etc) that starts with A. B. C. etc
Have to name a song with a colour in the title. If you want to win that one, learn your xmas songs.

another alphabet game ive played is Categories, where you come up with five categories (things like Places, Famous People, Animals, Sports, Historical Figures, Songs, etc) and then choose a five-letter word, and for each letter of the word, you have to come up with something for each category that starts with that letter.

[Orleander]

another alphabet game ive played is Categories, where you come up with five categories (things like Places, Famous People, Animals, Sports, Historical Figures, Songs, etc) and then choose a five-letter word, and for each letter of the word, you have to come up with something for each category that starts with that letter.

we own that game and play it quite frequently.:)
http://scattergories.net/

[Orleander]

OK, we're up to 3 :D

I still think I made a point about this particular game (i.e. it's v hard to play :p)

like tim840 said, its not just xmas songs. Its just by the time it got around to me, 4 songs had already been mentioned and none could be repeated. xmas songs were my go to list.

24 songs had been named by the time I used my last one.
Off the top of your head, (no googling!) name 25 songs with a colour in the title.

Oh and when we got done with that, we moved on to songs with a person's name in the title.

[John Connellan]

the game wasnt just christmas songs, though. you could use any song with a color in the title

Ok, but I'm just saying that learning your xmas songs will get you 3 points max so not the best plan :cool: :D

[Orleander]

Ok, but I'm just saying that learning your xmas songs will get you 3 points max so not the best plan :cool: :D

we didn't play for points. How did you play songs for points?

[John Connellan]

we didn't play for points. How did you play songs for points?

1 point for each song. How did you play?

[Orleander]

1 point for each song. How did you play?

last man standing. If you couldn't come up with one, you were out. And if you were out, you had to talk to Mom and Dad.