You’ve seen it around town: a stencil of a smiling face labled “BORF,” sometimes accompanied with a quirky statements. The work of the enigmatic Borf can be seen along U Street, in Adams Morgan, in the West End, Foggy Bottom, in Georgetown, and even at least one in Virginia. Just who is behind the graffiti?

While we still haven’t met him, a little internet snooping has unearthed some clues.

His has sparked a post on Craigslist’s rant and rave secion, and a reply which points to this usenet posting which says in geek-speak to “borf” someone is to “To uncerimoniously disconnect someone from a system without prior warning.” Our trusty standby the Urban Dictionary has a significantly different definition, claiming it refers to a mental state of nirvana achieved through unsavory means.

His sheer volume has sparked some resentment, one Flickr user even posted some anti-borf graffiti.