Street voices
Janna
·
United States
"Tea. Tea is basically gossip, news, stuff like that, you know, information that's, you know, interesting to hear. An example would be, did you hear about the tea between Maya and Jacob? It's insane."
What it means
Tea is the juicy gossip, the real story, the messy little truth people are dying to hear. If you spill the tea, you tell it. If someone asks what's the tea, they want the latest drama, not the watered-down version.
Usage examples
"Sit down and spill the tea, I want every detail."
"So what is the tea on those two, are they back together?"
"Girl, give me the tea, because that group chat went dead way too fast."
"He acted all chill at dinner, but the tea is he was fuming the whole time."
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Where it comes from
This comes from Black drag and ballroom culture in the US. Back in that scene, T meant truth, especially the real inside truth about what was going on. Over time people heard it as tea, which fit perfectly since gossip is something you sip, serve, and pass around hot.
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