ConnectWord · Ages 10-25 · In use
wallah
'I swear' or 'for real'. Used to insist something is true.
Wallah, j'ai rien fait! (I swear, I didn't do anything!)
For parents and educators
Common in multilingual schoolyards, including among kids with no Arabic background. Not religious in this use, and not a warning sign.
Where it came from
From Arabic, where it means 'by God'. Picked up by Montréal and Longueuil kids from friends who speak Arabic, much like 'wesh'.
Also heard as
wollah, wallah je te jure