Meaning
A request to wait a moment or pause — 'hold on', 'hang on a second'. Beyond asking someone to wait, it is also used to express surprise or to pull up short and challenge something just said: 'hol on — a wah yuh a seh?' works like 'wait, what?' in English. A very common everyday phrase, its force shifts with tone, from a patient 'give me a minute' to a sharp, startled interruption when something needs questioning.
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'.