hullo, hulloa, int.
(həˈləʊ)
[Cf. hallo, hillo, hollo.]
A call used to hail a person or to excite his attention. Also used in response to a telephone call and (freq. repeated) to express surprise. Cf. hallo int., hello int. b.
| 1857 Hughes Tom Brown i. ix, Hullo, who's there? 1882 Mrs. J. H. Riddell Daisies & B. III. 57 Hulloa, you sir! 1900 C. H. Chambers Tyranny of Tears 3 [Goes to telephone.] Hullo! hullo! [Gives them a ring up.] Are you there? 1906 Daily Chron. 31 May 4/7 The telephone..we both begin with the same word: ‘Hullo!’ 1931 D. L. Sayers Five Red Herrings xix. 193 ‘Hullo-ullo-ullo!’ he said. ‘So here we are again.’ 1959 Listener 13 Aug. 248/2 If, when you take off the receiver, you say ‘Hullo!’ just think how absurd that is. Why, you might be saying ‘Hullo!’ to a total stranger. 1972 N. Marsh Tied up in Tinsel viii. 198 Hullo-ullo! I thought there was something there. |