Hol on
Also spelled: Hold on, Hol aan, Howl on
Meaning
A request to wait a moment or pause; also used to express surprise or to challenge something just said, similar to 'hold on a second' or 'wait, what?' in English.
Examples
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“Hol on, mi soon come.”
Wait a moment, I'll be right back.
'Soon come' means 'coming shortly', a well-known Patois idiom for an imminent return.
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“Hol on deh — a weh yuh a seh?”
Hold on there — what are you saying?
Used to express disbelief; 'a weh' is 'what' with the question focus marker 'a'.
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“Hol on likkle, mi deh pon di phone.”
Hold on a little, I'm on the phone.
'Deh pon' means 'is on/at'; 'deh' marks location, no 'am' needed.
Origin
From English 'hold on', with the final 'd' dropped as is typical in Patois consonant cluster reduction.
How it's used
Everyday and neutral. The surprise sense ('hol on deh') is distinct from the literal 'please wait' and is signalled by tone and the tag 'deh'.