Why was this word on the car's number plate?

I'd been wondering all weekend what I could write about. Then, last night, on the way home on the motorway, a car with a saucy number plate went past us. It was a sign!

A cock, or cockerel, is a male domestic chicken, euphemistically called a rooster in the US. But that wasn't what was making me laugh and the camera shake. (Sorry!)

According to Cassell's Dictionary of Slang by Jonathan Green, "cock", meaning "penis", was considered standard English until the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838, when it became taboo. "Cock" is from the Latin cuccus, the adult male chicken. The term has been used for any object resembling a cock's head.

With the April issue of the magazine, we're giving away a guide to bad language. We explain when and where taboo language may be acceptable, and when and how it's best avoided.

While doing research for the booklet, I came across a video which would have fitted quite nicely on page 12, under "The body and its functions", had it not been a video. If you feel you might ever need more than two words for "penis", listen to Monty Python's "Penis Song", from The Meaning of Life.

Your task while watching: find out how many synonyms for "penis" are mentioned.

The answer: 13 (including "penis").

The synonyms are: dong, stiffy, dick, tadger, prick, willy, John Thomas, one-eyed trouser snake, piece of pork, your wife's best friend, percy, cock