Only in America: Crank it up to 11
A Washington state motorist's Spinal Tap-referencing vanity plate is confused for sexual braggadocio — and more in our collection of strange revelations about the nation

A Washington state motorist was required to explain the meaning of his vanity license plate, after a mistaken complaint claimed it was obscene. Tony Cava's plate, GOES211, is a reference to his favorite movie, Spinal Tap, but a complainant demanded the state's license-plate committee revoke it, saying the plate insinuates that "his penis grows to 11 inches in length." Cava won his case, a state official said, after proving "the complaint was, pardon my pun, a stretch."
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