Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • interjection Used to urge hounds on during a fox hunt.
  • intransitive verb To urge (hounds) on during a fox hunt by shouting “tallyho” when the fox is sighted.
  • intransitive verb To shout “tallyho” as a hunting cry.
  • noun The cry of “tallyho.”
  • noun A fast coach drawn by four horses.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To urge or excite, as hounds, by crying “Tally-ho.”
  • A hunting cry: a mere exclamation.
  • noun A cry of “Tally-ho.” See the interjection.
  • noun A name for a mail-coach or a four-in-hand pleasure coach; by extension, in the United States, a general name for such coaches.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • interjection The huntsman's cry to incite or urge on his hounds.
  • interjection A tallyho coach.
  • interjection a pleasure coach. See under Coach.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • interjection UK used to urge on a fox hunt, especially when the fox is sighted.
  • interjection a simple greeting, exclusively used by the upper classes.
  • noun the interjection.
  • verb to articulate the interjection.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably alteration of French taïaut, from Old French thialau, taho.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Probably alteration of French taïaut (interjection used in deer-hunting), from Middle French tahou, tayo, from Old French taho, ta ho, tielau (interjection given to hounds to return), composed of ta (particle used to prod animals) + ho ! ("halt!, hold!"). More at ho.

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Examples

  • Depressingly, the signs are that he is to be unleashed again as the Tories cry tallyho against the new treaty.

    Archive 2007-06-01 Burke's Corner 2007

  • Depressingly, the signs are that he is to be unleashed again as the Tories cry tallyho against the new treaty.

    Round 1 to PM Brown? Burke's Corner 2007

  • When the “tallyho” call was made, the game was on.

    Riding Rockets Astronaut Mike Mullane 2006

  • When the “tallyho” call was made, the game was on.

    Riding Rockets Astronaut Mike Mullane 2006

  • When the “tallyho” call was made, the game was on.

    Riding Rockets Astronaut Mike Mullane 2006

  • When the “tallyho” call was made, the game was on.

    Riding Rockets Astronaut Mike Mullane 2006

  • Except for a few seconds on the dive-bomb run itself, he must maintain tallyho, or visual contact with all his flight-mates.

    Thud Ridge Broughton, Jack, 1925- 1969

  • "He flies a gate beyant any living sowl I iver seed, and his tallyho, my jewel -- 'twould do y'er heart good to hear his tallyho!" said my lord's huntsman.

    The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 14, No. 387, August 28, 1829 Various

  • We went out to Jarvis field on a tallyho from Boston, and I recall how eagerly we dashed upon the field, anxious for the scrap to begin.

    Football Days Memories of the Game and of the Men behind the Ball William Hanford Edwards

  • Lithuanians, and Slovaks, and took them all outside, where stood a great four-horse tallyho coach, with fifteen or twenty men already in it.

    The Jungle Upton Sinclair 1923

Comments

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  • "Stephen with hat ashplant frogsplits in middle highkicks with skykicking mouth shut hand clasp part under thigh, with clang tinkle boomhammer tallyho horn blower blue green yellow flashes." Joyce, Ulysses, 15

    January 1, 2008