Bless Up
A warm greeting or send-off wishing someone peace and good fortune — like "take care" with more soul in it. Used constantly in Toronto's Caribbean-Canadian circles as both hello and goodbye.
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How it's used
This is hype vocabulary — words used to big something up, whether it's an outfit, a song, or a moment.
“Bless up, fam, safe travels back to the Six.”
Where it comes from
Origin: Jamaican Patois / Rastafarian-rooted greeting, carried into Toronto through the city's Caribbean community. It's one of many Toronto terms that trace back to Jamaican Patois, brought into the city through Toronto's Caribbean communities. Read the fuller story in our history of Toronto slang.
Sources
This entry was compiled through general research into Toronto/GTA slang rather than one single citable source — see the full bibliography in SOURCES.md and the wider context in our history of Toronto slang.