Meaning
Beyond keeping steady, in Jamaican slang 'balance' means to relax, settle, and cool out — to chill in one place. 'Mi jus a balance' means I'm just relaxing, hanging out, taking it easy, so to balance somewhere is to post up and be at ease there. As a noun it can also mean the leftover portion or remainder of something, the 'balance' left over. So the word runs from staying steady on your feet to the relaxed idling of cooling out, and on to the remainder of a thing, its senses all circling the idea of what settles and what is left.
Examples
-
Mi jus a balance a mi yaad today.
I'm just relaxing at home today.
-
Come balance wid wi likkle bit.
Come chill with us for a while.
-
Gi mi di balance a di money.
Give me the rest of the money.
Origin
From 'balance' (steadiness); the 'relax/settle' sense pictures being at rest and even, the 'remainder' sense from an account balance.
How it’s used
Slang for relaxing/hanging out ('a balance'); also the leftover/remainder. Compare 'cool nuh', 'satta'.