Kilroy

[ kil-roi ]

noun

1. a fictitious American male, created by American troops who left the inscription Kilroy was here on walls, property, etc., all over the world in the years during and after World War II.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Kilroy¹

First recorded in 1940–45; from the Irish surname Kilroy; several people have been suggested as the eponym

Example Sentences

Before he founded his own company in 2018, he oversaw two large-scale Hollywood projects for Kilroy Realty: the $420-million office, residential and retail redevelopment of the former CBS headquarters in Hollywood now known as Columbia Square and the $450-million office and residential redevelopment of the former Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences headquarters site now known as On Vine.

From Los Angeles Times

While examining the Pac-12’s contract with Kilroy Realty during his early months in office, Kliavkoff was stunned to discover the deal expired in the summer of 2023 — one year before the end of the Pac-12 Networks’ distribution contracts with Comcast, DISH, etc.

From Seattle Times

Maree Kilroy, senior economist at Oxford Economics, said returning migrants and students following the worst of the pandemic will add pressure and "should fuel sustained rental growth, especially in Sydney and Melbourne," adding 2023 is likely to mark the worst point for rent affordability.

From Reuters

One of the lawyers, Charlotte Kilroy, said that taking a final view on whether Kanu was the victim of extraordinary rendition would allow the Foreign Office to properly assess what steps to take to assist Kanu.

From Reuters

At Triple Whale, a data analytics company, clients have spent $99.89 million on advertising on TikTok since the beginning of this year compared with $18.39 million in 2021, a 443 percent increase, said Alexa Kilroy, its head of brand.

From New York Times

More About Kilroy

What does Kilroy was here mean?

Kilroy was here, or Kilroy for short, is a popular military graffito depicting a man with a long nose peeking over the top of a wall.

Where did Kilroy was here come from?

The graffito of a bald man looking over a wall—his long nose falling over its surface and fingers curled around its edge—is commonly called a Kilroy and usually accompanied by the message Kilroy was here. Its original creator is unknown, though subject to much speculation. One of the oldest known versions goes back to World War I, when Australia, New Zealand, and British forces scrawled the image all over walls, bathroom stalls, and railroad cars, but with the caption Foo was here.

British servicemen seem to have continued using this image when World War II broke out, but by then, the cartoon character was named Mr. Chad and accompanied by captions like Wot? No tea? in reference to low supplies. At some point during WWII, it appears American soldiers started drawing the popular military graffito, featuring the now-familiar tag Kilroy was here. Kilroy was here graffiti followed U.S. soldiers across Europe, reportedly to the confusion and concern of opposing troops, who thought Kilroy might have been a spy.

Eventually, Kilroy was here outgrew its wartime origins and became a popular symbol across the U.S. Even in the 1940s the source of the name Kilroy was hotly debated. The American Transit Association held a radio contest to solve the mystery in 1946, with dozens of Kilroys coming forward to say they were the inspiration. The winner of the contest was a shipyard worker named James J. Kilroy, who claimed to have coined the phrase when his superiors made him continually recheck tanks he’d already inspected. By writing Kilroy was here in yellow crayon on the top of the tank, Kilroy indicated that he’d already looked over his work.

Though Kilroy was here‘s popularity faded after the 1950s, the symbol remains widely recognizable, even if many are unaware of its military roots, and Kilroy graffiti has been spotted in many unusual places all across the globe. The phrase itself has been variously used in popular media, including the 1983 Styx album Kilroy Was Here.

How to use the term Kilroy was here 

Due to its association with military service, Kilroy was here is often referenced as a point of nostalgia, pride, and camaraderie among veterans as well among some civilians. The popular press sometimes alludes to Kilroy was here as a cultural touchstone for U.S. soldiers’ lived experiences of the far-flung wars of the 20th century, especially World War II.

The graffito is still drawn and spotted across the world, both in tribute and continuation of the classic meme. The character also appears in internet images, paintings, cartoons, and merchandise. Sometimes, people substitute their own name in the tagline after doodling the image for a personal touch (e.g., Phil was here).

More examples of Kilroy was here:

“The 12-ounce [beer] can design they came up with features the black silhouette of six soldiers appearing to be looking up at the Kilroy character, along with the AMVETS logo and the phrase, ‘Honoring, Representing and Serving our Military and Veterans since World War II.’”
—Jeannie Wiley Wolf, The Courier, June 2017

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.