wallah

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[edit] English

[edit] Etymology 1

From Hindi -wālā 'man, person in charge', from Sanskrit pāla 'protector'

[edit] Noun

wallah (plural wallahs)

  1. (India) A servant or other person responsible for something, often specified after it, for example kitchen wallah.
    1931 - Kindly take one of my cigarettes, sir. Do you not admire my new silver case, sir? From the boxwallah, two rupees eight annas. - A Hanging, George Orwell
  2. (UK, slang) A guy or bloke.
[edit] Derived terms

[edit] 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!".

[edit] Interjection

wallah!

  1. Common misspelling of voilà.

[edit] References

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