what ho! excl.
a general excl., usu. of greeting; thus as v., to greet.
![]() | Henry IV Pt 1 II i: What, ho! chamberlain! | |
![]() | Othello I i: What ho! Brabantio! | |
![]() | Falstaff’s Wedding (1766) V xii: What ho! the guards – the guards, I say. | |
![]() | Pelham III 295: ‘What ho, my kiddy,’ cried Job, ‘don’t be glimflashy.’. | |
![]() | (con. 1840s–50s) London Labour and London Poor III 140/2: He says, ‘What, ho! I wish for wine.’. | |
![]() | ‘’Arry at the Royal Evening Fête’ in Punch 28 July 38/1: ‘Just like What ho!’ a Countess remarked. | |
![]() | Bird o’ Freedom 8 Jan. 5/4: ‘As a Watteau shepherdess!’ ‘What — oh!’ exclaimed the little man, all unconscious of the pun. | |
![]() | Slum Silhouettes 215: Wot ho, Liz!’ ’Ows Cocky? | |
![]() | Sporting Times 17 Mar. 1/4: A slop’s brother—what ho! — from the country. | |
![]() | 🎵 Now the Music Hall is over and the 'gods' are coming out / ‘What O Billy, here, stand a “tiddlly” Ria, ’Arry!’ hear them shout. | [perf. Arthur Lennard] ‘After the Show’|
![]() | Marvel XIV:343 June 15: ‘Wotto, Sammy and Dickey!’ cried Bill, as he caught sight of ’em. | |
![]() | Kipps (1952) 180: ‘What ho!’ said he at the sight of Kipps. | |
![]() | Lone Hand May 4: There are two attitudes in life to be avoided, the Watteau and the What-Ho. In the one niceness is carried to the point of pernicketyness; in the other robustness grows into vulgarity. | |
![]() | Truth (Perth) 5 June 12/1: Which she do wear of a bodice / As were cut ‘a-ha-whatto!’. | |
![]() | Bulletin (Sydney) 12 Sept. 52/1: Wot-o, Cocker, Greeted enery, ow is it. Cocker was taken aback. He had expected er bit uv stouch. | |
![]() | Sport (Adelaide) 2 Aug. 9/1: They Say [...] That Georgie Bill, the chalk and water jerker [i.e. milkman], has caught a tabby at last. What oh! | |
![]() | Inimitable Jeeves 65: What ho! What ho! What ho! | |
![]() | Film Fun 8 Sept. 24: ‘What-ho!’ he warbled. | |
![]() | Capricornia (1939) 128: ‘What-o,’ said Oscar. Mark got up gasping. | |
![]() | Whizzbang Comics Frontispiece: I’ll make them all happy and then some, what-ho! | |
![]() | Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 85: A startled ‘What ho.’. | |
![]() | Much Obliged, Jeeves 14: After the initial What-ho-ing. | |
![]() | Decadence in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 23: Hello Claude and what ho Cecil! | |
![]() | Indep. Rev. 24 Aug. 2: What ho, Sir Greg! How goes the BBC? | |
![]() | Indep. on Sun. Rev. 23 Jan. 37: What ho! I could get used to this. | |
![]() | Private Eye 27 July-9 Aug. 22/3: Cripes and blimey, what ho chaps. |
In phrases
to be punished, treated badly.
![]() | Sport (Adelaide) 24 Dec. 5/3: ‘They’ll get what-ho for tattling’. | |
![]() | 🌐 I hear, however, that the enemy attacked the French and got ‘what ho.’. | diary 25 July
to punish, to treat badly.
![]() | 🌐 The Turks opened up at daybreak with their 12 and 15 pounders and have given us ‘What Oh’ all day. | diary 5 June|
![]() | 🌐 Our Brigade were in reserve and when the enemy’s artillery started they gave our trenches ‘what oh.’. | diary 6 May|
![]() | Mary Leith 232: He in war. Fight Bosche. Give him what-ho, and get plenty medals. | |
![]() | Super Sid 56: Fred would pick on certain players and give them what-ho. | |
![]() | (con. WWI) in | Facing Island 34: Then our guns opened out and gave him what ho.