the tea
Gossip, or the truth — the 'T' originally stood for truth.
Definitions
The tea is the goss, the inside story, the real situation. It started as 'T' for truth in early-90s Black drag culture — 'my T' meant my truth, my business, what's really going on in my life. In print by 1991. Over time T became tea, gossip and truth blurred together, and Drag Race plus social media made it everyone's word. Now 'what's the tea?' just means 'tell me everything.'
the tea In A Sentence
Origin & Usage
Early-1990s Black drag culture; 'T' stood for 'truth' (as in 'my T'). Documented in print by 1991 and in Lady Chablis's usage in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1994).
People Also Ask
What does "the tea" mean?
It means gossip or the truth about a situation. The 'T' originally stood for truth.
How do you use "the tea" in a sentence?
"Spill the tea — what actually happened at the party last night?"
Where does "the tea" come from?
It comes from Black drag and ballroom culture, where the 'T' stood for truth before it broadened to mean gossip.
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