tea

What it means

Juicy gossip, drama, or the inside scoop on a situation. To 'spill the tea' is to share the gossip, and 'what's the tea?' is asking for the latest news.

Examples

• Okay spill the tea, what actually happened at the party?
• I have so much tea about those two, you have no idea.
• What's the tea with them breaking up?
• Sis, the tea you just gave me is scalding hot.

Where it comes from

Born in Black drag and ballroom culture (where 'T' stood for 'truth'), it spread through reality TV and shows like RuPaul's Drag Race, becoming mainstream gossip slang in the 2010s.

Related slang