Kilroy
Nose-over-wall doodle
Kilroy is a name associated with the graffiti figure "Kilroy was here"—a bald, long-nosed man peering over a wall, typically accompanied by that phrase.
The doodle became ubiquitous during World War II, left by American servicemen wherever they went.
It persists as a symbol of anonymous presence: Someone had scrawled Kilroy on the bathroom stall.
Text permanently marked
- scribbleWrite without care
- doodleMindless rough sketch
- wallVertical enclosing structure
- latrineBasic outdoor toilet
bathroom · marker · tag · vandalism · etching · carving · signature · anonymous
Scalp lacking hair
- long noseExtended nasal feature
- fingersAppendages of the hand
- fenceBoundary structure between properties
- peekingFurtive quick looking
cartoon · doodle · Chad · sketch · caricature · eyes · peering · wall
U.S. military slang
- soldierArmed forces member
- militaryArmed forces collectively
- homefrontCivilian sector during conflict
- moraleGroup emotional well-being
troop · deployment · overseas · European theater · Pacific · wartime · American · serviceman
Starting point or source
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- urban mythFalse story believed widely
- shipyardVessel construction site
- inspectorOfficial quality checker
apocryphal · disputed · folklore · anonymous · unknown · theories · speculation · Quincy
Spreading quickly online
- spreadTo distribute widely
- phenomenonExtraordinary observable occurrence
- culturalRelating to shared traditions
- iconicWidely recognized, enduring
predecessor · repetition · recognition · humor · mystery · origin · copycat · imitation
inscription
Text permanently marked
latrine · bathroom · marker · tag · vandalism · etching · carving · signature · anonymous · ubiquitous
bald head
Scalp lacking hair
- long noseExtended nasal feature
- fingersAppendages of the hand
- fenceBoundary structure between properties
peeking · cartoon · doodle · Chad · sketch · caricature · eyes · peering · wall · simple
GI
U.S. military slang
morale · troop · deployment · overseas · European theater · Pacific · wartime · American · serviceman · nostalgia
origin
Starting point or source
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- urban mythFalse story believed widely
- shipyardVessel construction site
inspector · apocryphal · disputed · folklore · anonymous · unknown · theories · speculation · Quincy · riveter
viral
Spreading quickly online
- spreadTo distribute widely
- phenomenonExtraordinary observable occurrence
- culturalRelating to shared traditions
iconic · predecessor · repetition · recognition · humor · mystery · origin · copycat · imitation · inside joke
- 1940sWWII, D-Day, Pearl Harbor, Normandy, VE Day
- military slangFUBAR, hoorah, devil dog, SNAFU, GI
- aliasesalias, pseudonym, assumed name, code name, false name
- placeholdersplaceholder, bar, blank, dummy, filler