Irie
Means everything's cool, chill, or all-right — general good-vibes shorthand. Used the same way as "safe" in Toronto, especially in Caribbean-Canadian circles.
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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.
“How's it going?" "Irie, man, can't complain.”
Where it comes from
Origin: Jamaican Patois/Rastafarian term meaning "everything's good," brought into Toronto slang via the city's Jamaican diaspora. 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.
This word is a possible Torontle answer — the Wordle-style game built from this dictionary.
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