wallah
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈwɑːlə/
- UK
:
wallah
- Professors, doctors, lawyers, general knowledge wallahs... never get beyond 16,000 rupees.
- rickshaw wallah
Examples
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Hakir, look... tell these wallahs that our weapons come straight from the Saharawi desert.
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It's the rickshaw wallah with wings, ladies and gentlemen.
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The chai wallah has done it again.
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The chai Wallah knows more than you.
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Just three young boys and a pani-wallah.
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I am earning my living as a rickshaw wallah.
Fiction book (1992) -
They tip the chai wallah with $100 bills.
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"That's the luggage wallah," he explained, as the small creature of the night began to arrange huge amounts of luggage in the boot of the bus.
Blog text (19) -
The driver honks to get past a couple of boys engaged in a scuffle in front of the kabab wallah's shack.
Fiction book (2000) -
The chai wallah served hot tea to all the guests at the wedding.
Synonyms
A person who sells things or does small jobs in a local area
Compounds
- Indian
A person who manages supplies and daily tasks at a base, like transport and housing
How Responsible
Surface Forms
Etymology
Wallah comes from the Hindi and Urdu ending -wala (also written -wālah), which means 'person of' or someone 'involved with' a thing. So a chai wallah is simply a person who makes tea and a ticket wallah is the person who works with tickets, which is why wallah names someone who is in charge of or works at a particular thing.