Down the 401
Highway 401, the mega-highway cutting through Toronto — famously the busiest stretch of highway in North America. "Taking the 401" is a whole personality trait.
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How it's used
Words like this are about place — the specific streets, boundaries and nicknames that tell you exactly which part of the GTA someone means.
“401's a parking lot right now, take Eglinton instead.”
Where it comes from
Origin: Highway 401, busiest highway in North America. It's geography slang — shorthand locals use instead of the official name. More GTA geography terms are in the Geography & Identity category, or see how it maps onto real places in Toronto Slang By Neighbourhood.
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.