▪ I. holla, int. and n.
(ˈhɒlə, rarely hɒˈlɑː)
Also 6–8 hola.
[a. F. holà (15th c. in Littré) ‘stop’, ‘cease’, also a call to excite attention: ‘hoe there, enough, soft soft, no more of that; also, heare you me, or come hither’ (Cotgr.).]
† 1. An exclamation meaning Stop! cease! Hence to cry holla; to give the holla to, to stop or check by this call. Obs.
| 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccclxv. 597 Than therle of Buckyngham sayd, hola, cease, for it is late. 1566 Gascoigne Supposes iii. i, Holla! no more of this. 1600 Shakes. A. Y. L. iii. ii. 257 Cry holla, to the tongue, I prethee: it curuettes vnseasonably. 1622 J. Taylor (Water P.) Farew. Tower Bottles Wks. (1872) 11 But holla, holla, Muse come back, come back. 1630 S. Lennard tr. Charron's Wisd. ii. Pref. (1670) 207 No man stays us, or cryes hola unto it. 1675 Hobbes Odyss. xxiii. 259 Telemachus and the good servants two, When they had to the dancers said ‘Hola!’ Unto their beds within the palace go. 1681 Cotton Wond. Peak (ed. 4) 86, I must give my Muse the Hola, here. |
2. A shout to excite attention: cf. hollo.
| 1588 Shakes. L. L. L. v. ii. 900 Holla, approach. 1599 Minsheu Span. Dial. 25/2 Hola Page, bring Cards, let vs passe away the time. 1668 R. L'Estrange Vis. Quev. (1708) 63 Hola! Grannum, (quoth I, good lustily in her Ear..) what's your pleasure with me? 1756 Foote Eng. fr. Paris ii. Wks. 1799 I. 111 Hola, Sir Toby, stole away! 1855 Kingsley Heroes iii. (1856) 170 Then Theseus shouted to him ‘Holla, thou valiant pine-bender, hast thou two fir⁓trees left for me?’ |
3. A shout of exultation: cf. hollo.
| 1727 Swift Wom. Mind 64 So, holla, boys; God save the king. ? a 1800 in Hone Every-day Bk. I. 1431 Holla boys! holla boys! huzza-a-a! |
4. Also holla ho! [F. holà ho!]
| 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iv. i. 12 Holla hoa, Curtis. 1796 Scott Wild Huntsman xlix, Behind him hound, and horse, and horn, And, ‘Hark away, and holla, ho!’ 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) I. v. 84 With open throat sing chorus, drink and roar! Up! Holla! Ho! |
B. n. A shout of holla!
| 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 284 What recketh he his rider's angry stir, His flattering ‘Holla’, or his ‘Stand, I say’? 1672 Villiers (Dk. Buckhm.) Rehearsal v. i. (Arb.) 115 He's here with a whoop, and gone with a holla [ed. 1714 holloe]. 1810 Sporting Mag. XXXV. 299 Reynard was unfortunately lost..by a false holla from a man. 1833 M. Scott Tom Cringle (1859) 9 At the moment I thought I heard a holla. |
▪ II. holla, v.
see hollo v.