Encyclopædia Georgetannica

Where's George? (www.wheresgeorge.com) is a web site that allows you to track the travels of your US paper money. The Encyclopædia Georgetannica, compiled by me, Slowpoke, is the most complete WG dictionary ever created. It has been cited in articles by the Bloomberg news wire, the Orlando Sentinel, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. If you have any additional information (new terms, corrections, attributions, etc.) that would be useful for the Encyclopædia Georgetannica, feel free to anon e-mail me through my profile. However, I will try to limit the number of terms being added, because the purpose of the Encyclopædia is not to make up new terms, but for people to look up terms that Georgers use regularly.

Browse the Georgetannica by letter...
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A (Back to top)
AA - n. On Where's George? bill reports that have been hit at military sites abroad, an abbreviation for Armed Forces Americas (excluding the US and Canada). Very few hits have shown this abbreviation.
Abe - n. A five-dollar bill. Also: five, fiver, fin, five-spot.
Adam - Biog. Name. The #1 Georger (based on George Score) from January 1999 to August 2000. He has entered over 100,000 bills, more than any other Georger. Adam lives in Barnegat Light and Pine Brook, NJ. Adam's profile
AE - n. On Where's George? bill reports that have been hit at military sites abroad, an abbreviation for Armed Forces Europe.
Alex - n. A ten-dollar bill. Also: Al, Alexander, ten-spot, sawbuck.
Andy - n. A twenty-dollar bill. Also: Andrew, Jackson.
AP - n. On Where's George? bill reports that have been hit at military sites abroad, an abbreviation for Armed Forces Pacific.
APO - n. On Where's George? bill reports that have been hit at military sites abroad, an abbreviation for Army Post Office.

B (Back to top)
Ben - n. A one hundred-dollar bill.
BEP - n. Abbreviation for Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which prints America's paper currency.
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. [Term invented by ERIC]
Bingo - n. The act by which one receives hits that conform to a well-defined pattern, such as receiving a hit on a bill from each Federal Reserve Bank (an "FRB Bingo"), all 50 states, all of the counties in a state, etc. [Submitted by Jay the Kinder IT Guy]
Birthday Bill - n. A bill whose serial number can be read to spell out a date, usually construed as a birthday. The best ones are mmddyyyy, ddmmyyyy, and yyyymmdd.
Block Letter - n. The letter at the end of the serial number.
Block Letter Bingo - n. A hit on a bill with each of the Block Letters, A-N, P-Y, and *.
Bookend Bill - n. Bills with the same FRB and Block Letter. Example: C12345678C.
Blueberry Hit - n. A hit in Canada, named for the blue color of Canadian entries.
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. Here is an example. 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.
Brave George - n. A bill that is entered and stamped on the front and the back, because the initial user does not mind about what people think of the bill's markings. [Term coined by Rob.]

C (Back to top)
Capital George - n. A bill that has been hit in a state, provincial, territorial, or national capital. [Term coined by Mike.]
Chicken George - n. 1. 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. 2. Nickname given to George Chiasson (b: 1951- d: 2001), the #1 Georger in the state of WA, because he sometimes had a tendency to mark his bills as Chicken Georges. [Term coined by Ralph and Rob.]
Child n. A user whose first wild was originally entered by you. Also, Where's George child, WG child. (see also "parent")
Commercial Georger - n. A Georger who enters bills taken from his or her workplace. They typically become top Georgers due to the high volume of cash they handle.
Covered Up George - n. A bill with Where's George? markings that have been blacked out or otherwise obstructed from plain view. [Term coined by Somebody from Nowhere.]

D (Back to top)
Dick Clark Bill - n. A relatively old bill found in excellent condition in circulation. [Invented by Dwayne Fishbone Richardson and Blaster.]
direct hit - n. A hit received by someone who got the bill where you spent it. [Term submitted by Lorence.]
dry spell - n. A period of time in which a user gets no hits.

E (Back to top)
Educated George - n. A bill received and/or entered at a school. [Term invented by Willy Wonka Fan.]
EMS - n. Enter, Mark, Spend. The correct process of using Where's George?. Enter the bill, then mark the bill, then spend it. v. To enter, mark, and spend a bill or bills.

F (Back to top)
50 State Bingo - n. The state of having a hit in all 50 states.
FOG (Friend of Where's George?) - n. A user who has been rewarded of his/her donations to Hank, and receives special privileges not available with ordinary membership. Also: Friend of George, Friend, Friend of WG.
forum - n. A message board. Also: PF, public forum. Plural: forums, fora.
FPO - n. On Where's George? bill reports that have been hit at military sites abroad, an abbreviation for Fleet Post Office.
FRB - n. Federal Reserve Bank. One of 12 reserve banks set up under the Federal Reserve Act to hold reserves and discount commercial paper for affiliated banks in their respective districts. Each has a designated letter and number that appears on Federal Reserve Notes.
A1 Boston, MA
B2 New York, NY
C3 Philadelphia, PA
D4 Cleveland, OH
E5 Richmond, VA
F6 Atlanta, GA
G7 Chicago, IL
H8 St. Louis, MO
I9 Minneapolis, MN
J10 Kansas City, MO
K11 Dallas, TX
L12 San Francisco, CA
[term from Merriam-Webster OnLine]
FRB Bingo - n. To have a hit from all twelve FRBs. Also, FRBingo.
FRN - n. Federal Reserve Note. A bill issued by a Federal Reserve Bank.

G (Back to top)
GAL - See RTH.
gathering - n. An informal meeting of WG users, usually held at a restaurant, amusement park, or tourist venue. Many people find gatherings a good way to meet their fellow Georgers, and people sometimes travel to gatherings from hundreds of miles away. Gatherings are never sponsored by wheresgeorge?, and this website has no connection whatever with any gathering. A gathering is held strictly by an infromal arrangement among WG users. [Definition by CMgeorger]
Geo-George - n. A marked bill left or found in a Geocache. [Term submitted by Joe in Grand Prarie, TX.]
George - n. A one-dollar bill. v. tr. To enter a bill or bills in the Where's George? database.
Georged - adj. To describe bill that has been entered.
Georgeaholic - n. a Georger who is hopelessly addicted to Where's George? to the point of clear obsession. Also: George-aholic. [Term invented by Otto]
Georgeaversary - n. The anniversary of the day one joined Where's George?.
Georger - n. A registered Where's George? user. Also: Where's Georger.
Georgette - n. A female Georger. This term is seldom used.
George Score - n. A formula used to rank Georgers. The formula is 100* ( SQRT(LN(BillsEntered)) + LN(Hits + 1) ) * [1 - (Days of Inactivity / 100)], where LN = natural log and SQRT = square root. It goes into effect after a few hits.
George town - n. A city or town that one of a user's bills has been entered in. [Term coined by Bob]
Georging by Proxy - v. The act of writing on paper (other than currency) or typing on any keyboard the URL www.wheresgeorge.com. [Invented by Happy Hodag!]
Ghost George - n. See Natural George
Grant - n. A fifty-dollar bill.
Grape Ape hit - n. A hit in an APO/FPO zip code that shows up as purple instead of green (USA) or blue (Canada).
Guinness Effect - n. The phenomenon in which two bills entered and spent at different times and places travel independently, then converge to be hit in the same place at the same time. [Named for user Guinness, who first took notice of this occurrence.]

H (Back to top)
Hank - Biog. Name. The creator and webmaster of Where's George?. He lives in Brookline, MA. Hank's profile. v. tr. To terminate or disable a user's account due to fraudulent activities.
hit - n. A bill which is re-entered into the Where's George? database. v. tr. To give a user a hit.
Holy George - n. A bill that is involved in any religious purpose, such as being put in a collection plate at a church, or being entered by a religious person such as a minister, deacon, etc. [Invented by Cory in Fla.]
Homing George - n. A special boomerang bill that is entered in one location, spent in another (according to the user note) hit once or more than once in a faraway location, and then hit again in or near the first location. [Term invented by Tom]

I (Back to top)
Illegal Alien George - n. A bill entered in another country, but with an American zip code. [Term invented by Willy Wonka Fan.]

J (Back to top)
James Bond Bill - n. A bill with 007 in its serial number. [Submitted by Eric.]

K (Back to top)
Keith - Biog. Name. A well-known Georger who got in trouble with his bank for depositing marked bills there. This led to the Secret Service's investigation of Where's George in 2000. He is the subject of The Ballad of Keith. Keith appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy! on September 25, 2002. Keith's profile

L (Back to top)
Liquored Up George - n. A bill that was received or spent at a liquor store or a bar. [Submitted by liqstrdave, a.k.a. David B. Briggs.]

M (Back to top)
m - Abbrev. "More." Used in the subject line of a forum post to indicate that there is more to the message than the subject.
Magenta Hank - Biog. Name. Nickname for Hank. On the public forums, his name is posted magenta in color, hence the nickname.
Maiden George - n. The first not previously entered bill entered by a user. [Term coined by Audrey & Scott]
Martha - n. A non-Georger. [Term submitted by Lew]
marvel hit - n. A hit in a light purple or black and orange striped county on The Map of All Hit Bills. [Term invented by Jakob.]
Mean Time Between Hits - n. The average time it takes for a user to get a hit. Also: MTBH. [Term submitted by mitch.]
McGeorge - n. A bill received at McDonald's. [Coined by Shane Harrelson.]
Midwest Moan - n. A complaint about one's dry spells in the Midwest USA forum, which is said to bring hits.
Mirror George - n. A bill that has been hit in cities with the same name in different states. [Term invented by Webfoot]

N (Back to top)
Naked George - n. A hit with a user note that suggests the bill's connection to the adult entertainment industry. A Naked George is NOT a Natural, Stealth, or Ghost George. [Named for Naked George, a user who frequented strip clubs.]
natural circulation - Phrase. The process of spending and receiving bills in an ordinary fashion.
Natural George - n. A bill that is entered in the Where's George? database, but not marked. Also: Stealth George, Ghost George. A Natural/Ghost/Stealth George is NOT a Naked George.
Newborn George - n. A new, uncirculated bill that is EMSed. [Submitted by Extra Crispy George.]
Northeast Nag - n. A complaint about one's dry spells in the Northeast USA forum, which is said to bring hits.
nt - Phrase. Indicates a forum post with no text inside. Also: nt, n/t, NT, 9999, eom (end of message), n/m (no more), nti (no text inside).

O (Back to top)

P (Back to top)
parent n. The user who originally entered the first wild that another user found. Also, Where's George parent, WG parent. (see also "child")
pecquiologist (peh kwee AH luh jist) - n. A person who tracks money on the Internet. [Term coined by Slowpoke.]
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.]
PM (Profile Manipulator) - n. A user who views profiles repeatedly in order to get them on the Most Popular User Profiles list.
Prodigal Georger - n. A registered user who has not been active on Where's George? for a long time, then returns and becomes very active. [Term invented by Rochester Mike.]

Q (Back to top)

R (Back to top)
Radar bill - n. A bill whose serial number reads the same backward as forward. Also, palindrome.
RTH - See GAL.

S (Back to top)
Serendipitous Georging - n. Leaving marked bills hidden in random places, such as on a sidewalk, in a book, etc. [Coined by Doomer.]
Serendipity George - n. A bill hidden somewhere as a result of Serendipitous Georging. [Coined by Doomer.]
Sherlock George - n. A bill entered into Where's George without the URL or the words wheresgeorge marked on it but is marked with a clue indicating it is entered.
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 Georging. Here is an example.
Solo George - n. The first bill to be hit in a given zip code.
Southeastern Sigh - n. A complaint about one's dry spells in the Southeast USA forum, which is said to bring hits.
SS - n. Abbreviation for Secret Service.
star note - n. From the Where's George? FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Page: "The star after the serial number [means that the bill] is a replacement note that was issued to take the place of a defective note that was discovered. Since it's too cost-prohibitive to re-issue the same serial number, it's easier to print up a bunch of star notes and then use them to fill the stack once the defects are pulled out. Star notes don't command a premium unless they are uncirculated, and/or have a real interesting serial number. Using the * ('asterisk'=SHIFT-8) key will get it into the system." Also: star bill, star.
Stealth George - n. See Natural George
sterile hit - n. A hit in which the hitter did not register or leave a User's Note. [term invented by Terry]
strap - n. A bundle of 100 $1 bills, frequently requested of banks by addicted Georgers.
Stubborn George - n. A bill that stays around a cash supply until someone gets curious enough to enter it. [term invented by Jennifer]

T (Back to top)
Team Aqua - n. A group of Georgers who assist Hank by answering e-mails received via the Contact Us Form.
     Current Members: fogette, DrASK, NapaMac, Dave From Central MAss, JT from MD
     Emeritus Members: Slowpoke, Hans M. Guy, Spencer, Beaker
[Term invented by Hank and Slowpoke.]
Tom - n. A two-dollar bill.
total Georger - n. A Georger who enters more than 90% of the currency that comes into his or her possession. [term invented by Man]
Total Hit Mileage - n. The total mileage of a user's hits. Also: THM.
Twin Bills - n. Bills with the same serial number but from differen series years.
two-hitter three-stater - n. A bill that has been hit twice and entered in a total of three states. Here is an example.

U (Back to top)
Unconscious George - n. A bill entered once, never to be heard from again. [Invented by Happy Hodag!]
Undercover Georges - n. Natural Georges with a message specifically saying they were headed to the bank and are flying low key or undercover.  They check out the bank and then try to escape. [Term coined by Racer X]

V (Back to top)

W (Back to top)
Watercooler George - n. A marked bill spent within an office that receives a hit from another employee of that office. [Term coined by John Thompson]
Webfoot's Corollary - n. A corollary that states that too much Western Whining counteracts the said effects. [term invented by Jim in Camarillo, named for user Webfoot]
Western Whine - n. A complaint about one's dry spells in the Western USA forum, which is said to bring hits. "Western Whining Works Wonders" - Phrase. The assumption that complaining about your dry spells in the Western USA Forum will give you hits.
WG - n. Abbreviation for Where's George? Also: WG?
WGA - n. Abbreviation for Where's George? Anonymous, a user-created page where Georgers can share their thoughts about being "addicted" to WG. There are currently at least two such Web sites, both operating under the same name: one is located at http://www.geocities.com/gregorich77429/index.html (run by Ed) and the other at http://www.angelfire.com/wa3/cuerockwg (run by •Çü鮤¢k• ™).
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.]
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?. [Term invented by Kendall Chun (by extension!).]
Wild - n. A bill that has previously been entered on Where's George? and marked with the Web address. Also, Wild George.

Wild and Crazy George - n. A bill that is marked with Where's George?'s 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]
X (Back to top)

Y (Back to top)
YB - n. Abbreviation for Your Bills.

Z (Back to top)

Directory of Where's George-Related Pages - Member Site

The Encyclopædia Georgetannica is © 2001-2005(!) Jordon Kalilich (better known on Where's George as Slowpoke). All rights reserved. For another quasi-interesting WG-related page, see the Hit Rate Calculator. This page has no official connection to Where's George?. Yadda yadda. Special thanks to George Martin, Geoff Emerick, and Phillip McDonald. The logo image was designed by me, but the original image is courtesy of http://www.freeimages.co.uk/. All your George are belong to us.

It's alive! It's ALIVE!!! as of July 26, 2008.