wallah
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology 1
From Hindi -wālā 'man, person in charge', from Sanskrit pāla 'protector'
[edit] Noun
wallah (plural wallahs)
- (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
- (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!
- Common misspelling of voilà.
[edit] References
- Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967
