Tea
what it means
Tea is information other people want. "That's the tea" also works as a way of saying something is simply true, with no gossip involved.
Gossip, or the truth about a situation. "Spill the tea" means share it.
the origin story
Black drag culture, where "T" stood for truth. Documented in the 1990s and popularised broadly through drag television and Twitter.
The teacup emoji became its shorthand, and Kermit sipping tea provided the meme image. "Spilling the tea" is now standard enough to appear in advertising, which is usually the sign a term has left its subculture for good.
in the wild
Okay, spill the tea. What happened at dinner?
You are not ready.
Nobody actually enjoys those meetings.
And that's the tea.
how to use it
- Asking friends for the story behind something
- Sharing news that's juicy but harmless
- Ending a statement you consider self-evidently true
- About someone's private business they haven't shared
- In workplace communication about colleagues
- Without knowing it comes from Black drag culture
related terms
receipts
Community feedback
keep scrolling
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Cheat Code
A trick or advantage that makes something much easier than it should be.