Revised as of
20 Oct 2022
This word confusion, a hold versus ahold caught my attention what with all the shortages during this pandemic, with people trying to get a hold on their fears and trying to get ahold of some masks and disinfecting wipes.
Both the phrase and the single word are considered informal with ahold having an edge as far as being an idiom, which can be ideal to use to set up a character’s background. A less colloquial version would be get hold of, but still not a proper formal usage.
Use hold to make it “more” proper.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| A Hold | Ahold |
|---|---|
Lieutenant Colonel Darcy Overbey Demonstrates a Hold is in the public domain and courtesy of the Joint Task Force Guantanamo, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Air Assault Try-outs by Staff Sgt Carolyn Viss and is in the public domain courtesy of the US Air Force. — He’s gotta get ahold of that there rope. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Phrase: Indefinite article + Noun
Plural for the noun alone: holds |
Adverb; Noun
Plural for noun: aholds |
A method of restraint or blockage
|
Adverb: [Nautical; archaic] Close to the wind and on a single tack Noun: [to get ahold of something] Grab it, often tightly |
| Examples: | |
| Get a hold of yourself, man.
D’ye have a hold on this yet, Paulie? They’ve put a hold on my deposit. “There, George! There’s a hold three inches from your left hand.” Don’t let that crocodile get a hold of your arm! |
Adverb: Keep the ship ahold! Noun: Can you get ahold of Shipping and find out where our package is? We got ahold of some fresh nutmeg for the muffins. I’ll try and get ahold of Mark. Young Jemmy got ahold of the cookie jar. Grab ahold of the line! If you can’t get ahold of ripe tomatoes, add some tomato puree. |
| History of the Word: | |
| Hold, as the noun, is Old English haldan, healdan of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch houden and the German halten; partly from the Old Norse hald meaning hold, support, custody. | Late 16th century, in an earlier sense, from a + hold. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for A Hold versus Ahold
“Ahold or A Hold — What’s the Difference?” Writing Explained.com. n.d. Web. 2 April 2020. <https://writingexplained.org/ahold-or-a-hold-difference>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Volunteer Mark Van Allsburg Answers the Phone by Kristen Wong is in the public domain, courtesy of the Marine Corps. The image was flipped horizontally in Photoshop.
