throw shade
Artful, indirect contempt — an insult you don't even have to say out loud.
Definitions
Shade is the elegant evolution of reading. You don't tell someone they're ugly — you don't have to, because they already know, and that silence is the insult. Subtle, deniable, devastating. The definitive take comes from Dorian Corey in Paris Is Burning: 'I don't have to tell you because you know you're ugly. And that's shade.' Now everyone from gossip blogs to politicians 'throws shade,' usually with none of the finesse.
throw shade In A Sentence
Origin & Usage
Black and Latino ballroom culture; defined on camera by Dorian Corey in the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, where it's described as an evolution of reading.
People Also Ask
What does "throw shade" mean?
It means to show artful, indirect contempt — an insult you don't even have to say out loud.
How do you use "throw shade" in a sentence?
"She threw shade at his outfit without ever mentioning it directly."
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