Wallah
वाला
WAH-lah
Wallah (वाला) is a Hindi-origin word used in Indian English, meaning suffix or noun meaning "the one who does X" — the chai-wallah, rickshaw-wallah, etc. In crosswords it is the 6-letter answer WALLAH (6).
Meaning & usage
Wallah (more accurately "wala", which inflects for gender and number) is a Hindi suffix meaning roughly "person associated with" or "the one of". Bolted onto a noun it produces an occupational tag: chai-wallah (tea-seller), dabba-wallah (lunchbox-courier), rickshaw-wallah (rickshaw-puller), dhobi-wallah (washerman). The construction extended easily into Indian English and from there into British military and journalistic slang.
In a sentence
The chai-wallah at the corner remembered every regular order.
Common spelling variants
- Walla
- Wala
- Vala
Wallah is the English spelling used in MG Mini puzzles.
Wallah as a crossword answer
Wallah is a 6-letter answer. A typical clue:
“Suffix or noun meaning "the one who does X" — the chai-wallah, rickshaw-wallah, etc” (6)
Know a word we’re missing? Submit a word.