Word on the Street.

The article examines the evolution and political significance of graffiti in 18th-century Britain, highlighting its role as a medium for social commentary and rebellion during a period of political and cultural upheaval. It discusses the popularity of *The Merry Thought, or Glass-Window and Bog-House Miscellany*, a collection of graffiti compiled by the anonymous Hurlo Thrumbo, which captured diverse voices from sailors to aristocrats. The text traces graffiti's transformation from medieval protective symbols to politically charged inscriptions made by prisoners, soldiers, and revolutionaries, including Jacobite and American Revolutionary prisoners. It also addresses graffiti's involvement in major events like the Gordon Riots of 1780 and its perception as a distinctly British and imperial phenomenon by the century's end.