The word bless‚ as defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary in the third example‚ means to “invoke divine care for”‚ such as “bless their hearts” or saying “bless you” after someone sneezes. The word bless comes originally from Old English blētsian which came from blōd ...
concession at the end of the passage, his dilemma of what to wish God can also been seen as humorous (and reminiscent of an old joke, ''What do you say when God sneezes? You bless You?''), and typical of the master-servant dynamic at the center of much comic dialogue (see ...