She said many applicants are surprised or even startled to realize their request is offensive in some manner, and the division does work with applicants to come up with an alternate spelling, if possible, to satisfy the "inappropriate" meter.

For Udink, changing the spelling or phonetics of his last name to erase "dink" sort of defeats the purpose of wanting his name on the license plate in the first place.

"I believe their decision does more harm than good by declaring the name Udink vulgar and obscene, which demeans every person bearing the last name of Udink . . . as opposed to possibly offending the small handful of people who may take it out of context," Udink's letter says.

A check of the Webster's New World Dictionary and the Web site www.dictionary.com actually gives the first meaning for "dink" as a sports term — a drop shot, as in volleyball. Or, as an adjective, it is used to describe a hit in baseball that is made as a result of striking the ball poorly, such as a dink double.

Another meaning of the word is slang for a fool or jerk, and "DINK" is a noun that stands for a Double Income No Kids couple who are married. Dink also can be an adjective that describes a machine too small to bother with, or something that is trim or neat. Finally, it is listed as a disparaging term for a North Vietnamese soldier or guerilla in the Vietnam war.

For Udink, none of those definitions really matter or are relevant because Udink, not dink, is his name.

Dmitrich thinks his colleagues on the rule committee will be sympathetic to Udink's cause. "If that is a person's given name and it is on a birth certificate, it ought to be allowed on a state license plate."

House Majority Leader Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, a committee member, said he, too, fails to see what all the fuss is about.

"Udink," he said, "doesn't offend me."

---

E-MAIL: amyjoi@desnews.com