Meaning
A phrase of respect, greeting, and hype — telling someone to hold themselves high and receive their due praise. 'Big up yuhself!' salutes a person, big them up (celebrate them) and encourage them to feel proud and confident. Used as a shout-out ('big up all mi people'), a greeting, and a sign-off, it is one of the warmest expressions of respect in Jamaican speech.
Examples
-
Big up yuhself, mi bredrin!
Respect and props to you, my friend!
-
Big up all di people weh support wi.
Big respect to all the people who support us.
-
Yuh do well — big up yuhself!
You did well — hold your head high!
Origin
From 'big up' (to praise/celebrate) + 'yuhself'; a salute/greeting of respect. See [[big-up]], [[respect]].
How it’s used
A salute/greeting of respect and hype ('props to you'). See [[big-up]], [[respect]].