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Kilroy

Pronunciation: /ˈkɪlrɔɪ/
Definition of Kilroy
  • a mythical person, popularized by American servicemen in the Second World War, who left such inscriptions as ‘Kilroy was here’ on walls all over the world.

Origin:

of the many unverifiable accounts of the source of the term, one claims that James J. Kilroy of Halifax, Massachusetts, a shipyard employee, wrote ‘Kilroy was here’ on sections of warships after inspection; the phrase is said to have been reproduced by shipyard workers who entered the armed services

Kilroy in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of Kilroy in the US English dictionary
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