What It Means to “Spill the Tea”

One of the benefits of living with teenagers is, if you’re a Word Nerd, the exposure to all kinds of new and interesting vocabulary.  A few days ago, my daughter was filling me in on current social drama at her school when she said, “And she totally spilled the tea about that situation.”

I paused. “The tea?”

She said, “You know, the gossip, the good stuff.”

Ok, like spilling the beans.  But where in the world did this phrase come from? The Word Nerd did some research, and apparently teens aren’t the only ones using this term:

According to Merriam Webster, the phrase comes from black drag culture, much like “shade”.  It appeared in print way back in 1994 in John Berendt’s non-fiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  In it, Berendt interviews Lady Chablis, a popular drag performer in Savannah, GA.  While describing her dating life, Chablis says she avoids men who get violent when they find out “her T”.  Berendt asks her explain “T”, and she says, “Yeah, my T. My thing, my business, what’s goin’ on in my life.”

T or tea in drag culture means truth, either a hidden personal truth or someone else’s hidden truth.  “Tea” is currently used in general to mean gossip, especially if it’s juicy.

The comedian Larry Wilmore used the phrase “weak tea” on his Comedy Central show to suggest someone wasn’t telling the whole truth.  Other writers have used this term too:

Don’t forget to visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion for the WWW meme!

So, when someone asks you to “spill the tea”, they are encouraging you to gossip.  Do with that what you will.

Have you heard or used “spill the tea” yourself?  Can you share another interesting slang term?

If you like learning more about words, visit Wondrous Words Wednesday at Kathy’s Bermuda Onion blog.

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julia Tomiak
I believe in the power of words to improve our lives, and I help people find interesting words to read. Member of SCBWI.

6 Comments

  1. I have not heard this phrase before, although I guessed at the meaning based on “spill the beans.” Nothing makes me feel older than having to be told what something means by my teenager! Thanks for keeping me cool, Julia (‘cool,” I’ve learned, is no longer cool, though.)

  2. How interesting! I’m really shocked you’ve heard your teenagers use this expression; it seems a much more “elderly” thing to say. I’m going to start saying this anytime someone comes through the door: spill the tea! pronto!

    🙂

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