California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is under fire after apparently hiding an obscenity in a letter to a political opponent.
The Republican wrote to a local politician from the rival Democrat party explaining why he refused to sign a bill into law.
But the note appears to include a less diplomatic explanation - a swear word hidden in an acrostic poem, where the first letter of each line spells out a word or sentence.
"My goodness. What a coincidence," his spokesman Aaron McLear said.
"I suppose when you do so many vetoes, something like this is bound to happen."
The letter was sent to San Francisco assembly member Tom Ammiano and posted on the state's website.
He had sponsored the legislation about a local port that prompted the response from Mr Schwarzenegger.
It is not the first time the pair have disagreed, as earlier this month Mr Ammiano heckled the Republican governor when he spoke at a Democrat event and accused him of being a liar.
"Kudos to the governor for his creative use of coincidence," Quintin Mecke, Mr Ammiano's spokesman, responded.
"You certainly have to have a sense of humour in politics. Unfortunately, this humour came at the cost of the Port of San Francisco."
The former movie star and bodybuilder has been criticised before for his colourful language and behaviour.
In July, Mr Schwarzenegger brandished a knife in a web video about budget cuts.
The letter reads "Fuck You" written down the side of it.
