Get ahold of somebody OR Get a hold of somebody?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Get ahold of somebody OR Get a hold of somebody?

Thanks.

2

a hold, never ahold.

3

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary lists this:

: hold <if you could get ahold of a representative — Norman Mailer>

Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary lists these examples:

ahold adverb /əˈhəʊld//-ˈhoʊld/ US
get ahold of sth
to get something
Drugs are too easy to get ahold of.

get ahold of sb
to find or communicate with someone
I’d like to get ahold of Debbie and talk to her about this.

grab/take, etc. ahold of sth/sb
to take hold of something or someone
I grabbed ahold of his legs and held on so he could not get away.

get/grab, etc. ahold of sb/sth
to get power or control over someone or something
Once the drugs get ahold of you, it just changes you completely.

get/take ahold of yourself
to calm yourself or succeed in controlling your actions or emotions

(Definition of ahold adverb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

I still prefer ‘a hold’ because it looks much better.

4

I hate to argue with a dictionary, but that seems totally wrong to me. I wonder if it’s a typo (unless it’s an American thing? - the CALD focuses on American usage))
The Oxford English Dictionary has no such entry.

5

I totally agree with you, although you and I are outnumbered; ‘ahold’ is listed in 20 dictionaries at OneLook.com.

6

Two queries submitted (by yours truly) to the COCA turned up the following results:
191 for “get ahold of”
versus
217 for “get a hold of”
So the COCA bears out your suspicion.

7

Old Man Oxford says:

hold

Pronunciation: /həʊld/
…
Phrases
get hold of
grasp physically.
informal obtain:
if you can’t get hold of ripe tomatoes, add some tomato purée
informal find or manage to contact (someone)
I’ll try and get hold of Mark

8

Thanks, Fitchersbird. Yes… also ‘get a hold of’.
We were discussing ‘a hold’ v ’ ahold’ rather than the meaning, though.