[1] The origin of the superstition is unclear, but it has widely been claimed to have been associated with a pimp who allegedly lived in the western city of Herat and who was nicknamed "39" after the registration plate of his expensive car and the number of his apartment.
[2] Others claim that the number translates into morda-gow (literally meaning "dead cow") which is a well-known slang term for a pimp.
[3] Officials have, in turn, blamed car dealers and "those who work for the mafia [who] started the rumours about 39 so they could buy cars with 39 plates cheaper and sell them back for higher prices after changing the plates", according to Abdul Qader Samoonwal of Kabul's Traffic and License Registration department.
[2] Cellphone owners have encountered similar problems, forcing them to hide their caller ID or switch their numbers altogether.
[5] Some 39-year-old Afghans refer to themselves as being "one less than 40" or "one year to 40" (Pashto: یک کم چهل, romanized: yak kam chehl).