( Version 1.1 eh! )

With thanks to Slowpoke of Where's George for providing the Encylopædia Georgetannica as a basis for our Canadian version.

A 
Alpha bill - n. The first bill ever entered into Where's Willy?.  Here it is.     
Alpha hit - n. The first hit ever on a Where's Willy? bill.  Here it is.     

B  (Back to top)
Bashful Willy - n. A registered bill that is marked or stamped on the back only, usually because the initial user is afraid to pass bills that are marked on the front. See also curiosity bill, shy Willy and Chicken Willy. [Submitted by Peter B and «TOAST»]    
Beak - n. To tease or harass a user on a Where's Willy? forum. [Submitted by BizRodian]     
Bi-coastal bill - n. A bill that has been entered or hit on one coast, and later gets hit on the opposite coast. Here is an example.  [Based on a term invented by ERIC of Where's George?; example submitted by GUS]     
Big Willy - n. A $50 bill, named after William Lyon MacKenzie King, who's face appears on the front of this bill.   Examples.  See also King.   [Coined by DougyB]
Bird Series - n. Refers to Canadian bank notes that were printed between 1986 and 2000 which prominently feature various birds of Canada on the back. Follow this link for sample images.  Also Bird Bill, 1986 Series, Birds of Canada Series.  See the Bank of Canada web site for more information. [URL submitted by PeterB]
Bilingual Willy - n. A bill that has user notes in both English and French, the two official languages of Canada.  [Coined by Lee]
Bingo - n. To achieve a hit in every segment of a particular category, i.e.: denominations, provincial capitals, provinces, territories, etc. See the Unofficial Where's Willy Sleeper/Bingo List.  [Submitted by Robert B.]
Black Hole - n. A large Canadian city (i.e. Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver) into which bills enter but rarely leave.  Also vortex.  [Submitted by DougyB]
Boomerang bill - n. 1. A bill that is entered in one location, and then hit in the same or a nearby location with a user note saying that the hitter got it in another location.  2. A bill that is entered in one location, hit once or more than once in another location, and then hit again in or near the first location. Also: Circle Bill  Here is an example.
Borden - n. A $100 bill, named after Sir Robert Borden, who's face appears on the front of this bill   Examples.  See also Rob.
Brave Willy - n. A bill that is entered and stamped on the front and the back, because the initial user does not mind what people think of the bill's markings. [Based on a term coined by Rob of Where's George?]
BTDT Bill - Also: Been There, Done That bill.  n. 1. A bill with the same topic, business name, exact location, etc., in multiple entries.  Here is an example.  [Term coined by «TOAST» who maintains the BTDT Page.] 

C  (Back to top)
Capital Willy - n. A bill that has been hit in a state, provincial, territorial, or national capital. [Term coined by Mike of Where's George?]
Chicken Willy - n. A registered bill that is marked or stamped on the back only, usually because the initial user is afraid to pass bills that are marked on the front. [Based on a term coined by Ralph and Rob of Where's George?]
Chilly Willy - n. A bill that is hit in a cold, northerly climate such as Churchill, MB or anywhere in Nunavut, Yukon or Northwest Territories. [Submitted by Robert B., originally from a Winnipeg Free Press article on May 25, 2002.]
Circle bill - n. 1. A bill that is entered in one location, hit once or more than once in another location, and then hit again in or near the first location. Also: boomerang bill [Submitted by «TOAST»]
Covered-up Willy - n. A bill with Where's Willy? markings that have been blacked out or otherwise obstructed from plain view. [Term coined by Somebody From Nowhere of Where's George?.]
Curious George - 1. n. A US bill that gets a hit in Canada. [Submitted by Lee]  2. n. A Georger who pops in and posts in the WW forums. [Submitted by Lee]     
Curiosity bill -  n. A registered bill that is marked or stamped on the back only, usually because the initial user is afraid to pass bills that are marked on the front. See also bashful Willy , shy Willy, and Chicken Willy.     

D  (Back to top)
Denominational bingo - n. Describes when a user has achieved hits on all denominations of Canadian currency (5, 10, 20, 50 & 100).
Dick Clark Bill - n. A relatively old bill found in excellent condition while still in circulation. [Invented by Dwayne Fishbone Richardson and Blaster of Where's George?.]
Direct hit - 1. n. A hit received by someone who got the bill from where you spent it. [Term submitted by Lorence of Where's George?] 2. n. A bill that has two hits (including the initial entry) in exactly the same location, store, etc.  Example. [Submitted by Peter B]     
dry spell - n. A period of time in which a user gets no hits.

E  (Back to top)
Educated Willy - n. A bill received and/or entered at a school. [Based on a term invented by Willy Wonka Fan of Where's George?]
EMS - n. Enter, Mark, Spend. The correct process of using Where's Willy?. Enter the bill, then mark the bill, then spend it. v. To enter, mark, and spend a bill or bills.
EW - acronym. Short for Encylopædia Willytannica (this list).  [Coined by DougyB]
EW-meister - n. The person who maintains the EW (see above).  [Coined by DougyB]


F  (Back to top)
Fake hit - n. A hit that is deemed to be entered under suspicious circumstances.  Examples are bills hit using the US '90210' ZIP code or Canadian 'H0H 0H0' postal code.
Forum - n. A message board. Also: PF, public forum. Plural: forums, fora. Follow this link to visit the forums.
Friend of Where's Willy? - n. A user who has been rewarded for his/her donations to Hank, and receives special privileges not available with ordinary membership. Also: Friend of Willy, Friend, Friend of WW, FOW.  Also applicable on Where's George as Friend of George.

G  (Back to top)
Geo-Willy - n. A marked bill left or found in a Geocache. [Based on a term submitted by Joe in Grand Prairie, TX of Where's George?]
George - n. A one-dollar bill. v. tr. To enter a bill or bills in the Where's George? database.
Gooseberry - n. A bill registered at Where's Willy that gets a hit south of the border in the USA thereby showing a green background on the hit details part of the bill report. [Submitted and coined by Rancor] 
Guinness Effect - n. The phenomenon in which two bills entered and spent at different times and places travel together to be hit in the same place at the same time. Named for Where's George? user Guinness, who first took notice of this occurrence.  See these examples (bill 1  bill 2) submitted by «TOAST».

H  (Back to top)
Hank - Biog. Name. The creator and webmaster of Where's Willy? and Where's George?  He lives in Brookline, MA. Hank's profile
Hit - n. A bill which is re-entered into the Where's Willy? database. v. tr. To give a user a hit.
Hit and miss - n. A bill with a hit in a town/city but the user note says that the bill was acquired in another town/city. Also hit that got away.  [Submitted by David.S]     
Hit Streak - n. A period of consecutive days where a user gets at least one hit per day.  Also streak. [Submitted by Robert B.]
Hit that got away - n. A bill with a hit in a town/city but the user note says that the bill was acquired in another town/city.  Also hit and miss.  [Submitted by David.S]     
Hula Loop - n. A bill that states in the user note that it has been to Hawaii, but it has not been hit there. See these examples (bill 1  bill 2) submitted by Roger in Eugene.

I  (Back to top)
Interactive bill - n. A bill that is marked only with the Where's Willy url and no other message. See also curiosity bill. [Submitted by Peter B and «TOAST»]     
International Willy - n. A bill that has a description indicating it has been in another country (other than the U.S.A.).  Examples:  1  2  3.  [Submitted by «TOAST»]     

J  (Back to top)
James Bond Bill - n. A bill with 007 in its serial number. [Submitted by Eric of Where's George?]
Jammin' Willy - n. A bill that jams in an inkjet printer, taking 10 minutes to get it out. [Coined by Bruce]    
John - n. In the context of Where's Willy?, a $10 Canadian bill, named after Sir John A. MacDonald, who's face appears on the front of this bill. Examples.
Journey Series - n. Refers to Canadian bank notes that were printed from 2001 forward which prominently feature themes that celebrate Canada's history, culture, and achievements. Follow this link for sample images.  Also Journey Bill, 2001 Series, Canadian Journey Series.  See the Bank of Canada web site for more information. [URL submitted by PeterB]

K  (Back to top)
King - n. A $50 bill, named after William Lyon MacKenzie King, who's face appears on the front of this bill.  Examples.  See also Big Willy 

L  (Back to top)
Liz - n. A $20 bill, named after Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II, who's face appears on the front of this bill.  Examples.

M  (Back to top)
Magenta Hank - Biog. Name. Nickname for Hank. On the public forums, his name is posted magenta in color, hence the nickname.
McWilly - n. A bill received at McDonald's. [Based on a term coined by Shane Harrelson of Where's George?]

N  (Back to top)
Naked Willy - n. A bill that is entered in the Where's Willy? database, but not marked. Also: Natural Willy, Stealth Willy.
Natural circulation - Phrase. The process of spending and receiving bills in an ordinary fashion.
Natural Willy - n. A bill that is entered in the Where's Willy? database, but not marked. Also: Naked Willy, Stealth Willy.
nt - Phrase. Indicates a forum post with no text inside, usually delineated by *s or [ ]. Also: nt, n/t, NT, 9999, eom (end of message), n/m (no more), nti (no text inside).

O  (Back to top)
One hit wonder - n. A bill that is hit shortly after it's initial entry, but is never heard from again.  [Submitted by Brett]
OOPH (pronounced "oof") - acronym Out Of Province Hit, denoting that a subsequent entry on a bill/note was achieved in a different province than the original entry.  Note that by definition, a bill entered in a Canadian province that receives a hit in the United States has an OOPH.   [Term coined by Lee]

P  (Back to top)
Pecquiologist (peh kwee AH luh jist) - n. A person who tracks money on the Internet. [Term coined by Slowpoke of Where's George?]
Pecquiology (peh kwee AH luh jee) - n. The practice of tracking money on the Internet. [Latin pecunia, money + sequi, follow + -logia, science, theory, or doctrine.] [Term coined by Slowpoke of Where's George?]
Power User - n. A WW user who regularly participates in most or all aspects of the site, including entering large numbers of bills, posting on forums, accessing "Your Bills" frequently to keep days of inactivity down, getting lots of hits, etc.  [Submitted by «TOAST»]     
Provincial bingo - n. Having at least one hit in all 10 provinces (excluding territories).

Q  (Back to top)

R  (Back to top)
Radar Bill - n. A bill who's serial number is a palindrome. Eg: xyz1234321 [Origin unknown but requested on this list by CapitolHill  Jill]    
Rob - n. A $100 bill, named after Robert Borden, who's face appears on the front of this bill.   Examples. Also: Robby.  See also Borden.  

S  (Back to top)
Serendipitous Willying - n. Leaving marked bills hidden in random places, such as on a sidewalk, in a book, etc.  [Based on a term coined by Doomer of Where's George?]
Serendipity Willy - n. A bill hidden somewhere as a result of Serendipitous Willying. [Based on a term coined by Doomer of Where's George?]
Shy Willy - n. A registered bill that is marked or stamped on the back only, usually because the initial user is afraid to pass bills that are marked on the front. See also bashful Willy , curiosity bill, and Chicken Willy. [Submitted by Peter B and «TOAST»]    
Silly Willy - n. A bill that has been hit in an apparently bogus ZIP code or postal code, for example '90210' or 'H0H0H0' or 12345.  See fake hit.  [Coined by DougyB, based on a comment by «TOAST»]     
Sleeper - n. A bill that takes a long time, generally over a year or so, to get hit, but the length of time is relative to how long the initial user has been Willying. Here is an example.   See the Where's Willy Sleeper Page hosted by GUS.
Solicited hit - n. What bad Williers do!  Where a user gives the bill to a friend or family member without explaining the rules, or requests the bill be entered and that person gives it a hit.  A big no-no. [Submitted by Lee]    
Sour Gooseberry - n.A bill registered at Where's Willy that gets hit south of the border in the USA   [Submitted by Lee]    
Stealth Willy - n. See Natural Willy
Sterile hit - n. A hit in which the hitter did not register or leave a User's Note. [Based on a term invented by Terry of Where's George?]
Streak - n. See hit streak. 

T  (Back to top)
Territoral Bingo - n. To achieve a hit in all all 3 Canadian territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut).  [Submitted by Robert B.]
Tim-bill - n. A bill that gets hit at Tim Horton's. [Submitted by Lee]
Tri-coastal Bill - n. A bill that visits the northern, eastern and western shores of Canada.  Considered to be very rare. [Submitted by Robert B.]


U  (Back to top)
Unconscious Willy - n. A bill entered once, never to be heard from again. [Based on a term invented by Happy Hodag! of Where's George?]
Undercover Willy - n. Natural Willies with a description specifically saying they are flying low key or undercover.  

V  (Back to top)
Vortex - n. A large Canadian city (i.e. Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver) into which bills enter but rarely leave.  Also Black Hole.  [Submitted by Lee]
Virgin Willy - n. A bill that has never been marked or entered into Where's Willy? [Submitted by GUS]    

W  (Back to top)
Watercooler Willy - n. A marked bill spent within an office that receives a hit from another employee of that office. [based on a term coined by John Thompson of Where's George?]
WG - n. Abbreviation for Where's George? Also: WG?
Where's George? - n. A Web site located at www.wheresgeorge.com at which users enter the denominations, serial numbers, and series years of U.S. paper money into the database (along with the zip/post code where they are), mark the bills with the Web site address and spend the bills, hoping people will see their bills and do the same. This page contains a list of terms used by Where's George users. The site is named for George Washington, the first president of the United States, who appears on the $1 bill. Also: Where's George, WG, WG?. [Term invented by Kendall Chun of Where's George?]
Where's Willy? - n. A Web site located at www.whereswilly.com at which users enter the denominations, serial numbers, and series years of Canadian paper money into the database (along with the zip/post code where they are), mark the bills with the Web site address and spend the bills, hoping people will see their bills and do the same. This page contains a list of terms used by Where's George users, but many of them also apply to Where's Willy. The site is named for Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the first prime minister of French descent, who appears on the $5 bill. Also: Where's Willy, WW, WW?. 
Wicked Willy - n. A hit with a user note that suggests the bill's connection to the adult entertainment industry [Coined by DougyB]    
Wicked Willy - {alternate} n. A hit with a user note that indicates the bill has been involved with some kind of vice. [Suggested by Furbelly]    
Wild and crazy Willy - n. A bill that is marked with the Where's Willy? web address, but not entered in the database. This is a very bad practice and not recommended. Enter, Mark, Spend (in that order) is very important. This will reduce the amount of e-mail requests to Hank, asking why someone cannot find a bill's history. [term invented by Hank]
Wild Willy - n. A marked bill that has been entered into the website by a WW user.
Willier - n. Someone who actively participates in Where's Willy?.  One who Willy's. Coined by Ribbit.
Willy - 1. n. A five-dollar bill.  Named after Sir Wilfred Laurier, who's face appears on the front of this bill.  Also: five, fiver, fin, five-spot.  2. v. The action of entering bills into the Where's Willy? web site. (pl. Willies) [Submitted by «TOAST»]
Willying - n. The act of EMSing at Where's Willy? [Based on a post by Amanda]
Willy gathering - 1. n. An informal meeting of WW users, usually held at a restaurant, amusement park, or tourist venue. Many people find gatherings a good way to meet their fellow Williers and Georgers, and people sometimes travel to gatherings from considerable distance away. Gatherings are never sponsored by Where's Willy? or Where's George?, and the websites have no connection whatever with any gathering. A gathering is held strictly by an informal arrangement among WW and/or WG users.    
Willy gossip - n. What Williers do at a Willy gathering [Coined by Bernadette, the wife of James in London]    
Willy Index - n. A formula used to rank Williers. The formula is 100* ( SQRT(LN(BillsEntered)) + LN(Hits + 1) ) * [1 - (Days of Inactivity / 90)], where LN = natural log and SQRT = square root. It goes into effect after 5 hits.  Also WI.
Willyholic - n. A Willier who is hopelessly addicted to Where's Willy? to the point of clear obsession. [Based on a term invented by Otto of Where's George?]
Willyversary Hit - phrase. An event that happens when a bill is hit on an anniversary of it's original entry date.  [Coined by DougyB, based on a suggestion by ßUßßA.]
WW - n. Abbreviation for Where's Willy? Also: WW?

X  (Back to top)
X-rated Willy - n. A hit with a user note that suggests the bill's connection to the adult entertainment industry [Based on a suggestion by Rea in Calgary]    
Y  (Back to top)
YB - n. Abbreviation for Your Bills.

Z  (Back to top)
Zeromarking - n. A practice whereby a Willier marks a face inside the '0' (or the round part of a 5) on the front or back of a bill, in order to get it noticed.  [Coined by Lee based on a practice by an un-named Willier]

Go to the Directory of Where's Willy? Related Pages

Also, thanks very much to Jordon for creating the EW Banner at the top of the page.

Created  on December 27, 2002.  Last updated on January 2nd, 2007.

Updates, changes or corrections gladly accepted at willytannica at shaw dot ca