wallah

English

Etymology 1

Either from Hindi -वाला (-vālā, “pertaining to”) or from Hindi वाला (-vālā, “person in charge”), from Sanskrit पाल (pāla, “protector”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“protect”).

Noun

wallah (plural wallahs)

1. (India) A servant or other person responsible for something, often specified after it, for example kitchen wallah.
   • 1931, George Orwell, A Hanging

     Kindly take one of my cigarettes, sir. Do you not admire my new silver case, sir? From the boxwallah, two rupees eight annas.

2. (UK, slang) A guy or bloke.

Derived terms

• boxwallah, boxwalla
• punkahwallah

Etymology 2

In most cases, this is simply a phonetic misspelling by a person unfamiliar with the French term. However, in some cases, a relationship may be assumed with Arabic والله wallah meaning "by God" or "I swear to God!".

Interjection

wallah!

1. Common misspelling of voilà.

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967