tra-la

American  

[trah-lah] / trɑˈlɑ /

Also tra-la-la

noun

1. nonsense syllables sung as a refrain, expressing gaiety.

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tra-la British  

/ ˌtrɑːlɑːˈlɑː, ˌtrɑːˈlɑː /

noun

1. a set of nonsensical syllables used in humming music, esp for a melody or refrain

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Etymology

Origin of tra-la

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Can’t I just take your point, stop interrupting and, tra-la, change the world?

From The Guardian • Oct. 24, 2020

Like the flowers that bloom in the spring, tra-la, her present employment has little to do with her case.

From Time Magazine Archive

The "tra-la" was considered to render this sentence incomprehensible to the uninitiated.

From Kipps The Story of a Simple Soul by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

Springtime is here, tra-la, tra-la, Brooklets run clear, tra-la, tra-la, Birds are winging, flowers springing, For springtime is here, tra-la, tra-la.

From Ohio Arbor Day 1913: Arbor and Bird Day Manual Issued for the Benefit of the Schools of our State by Clifton, Grace R.

The birds are trilling, tra-la, tra-la, Their glad songs are filling, tra-la, tra-la, The wood and dale, the meadow and vale, The Springtime is come, tra-la, tra-la.

From Ohio Arbor Day 1913: Arbor and Bird Day Manual Issued for the Benefit of the Schools of our State by Clifton, Grace R.