spill the tea

English

Etymology

Originally from "T", standing for truth, which evolved into tea. Possibly as a blend with spill the beans.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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Verb

spill the tea (third-person singular simple present spills the tea, present participle spilling the tea, simple past and past participle spilled the tea or spilt the tea)

1. (informal) To disclose information, especially of a sensitive nature.
   • 2012 October, Demetria L. Lucas, “Should I Worry That He Earns Less Money?”, in CARE, number 18, page 18:

     They are up in your business because you invited them in by spilling the tea on what you and your man earn.

   • 2013, Stanley Bennett Clay, "A Fun Quick Read", DBQ Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 1, January/February 2013, page 9:

     […] she makes good on her promise to out her celebrity husband in the media by going on the top nationally syndicated radio talk show of Neicy Ross, an even more tacky version of Wendy Williams, and spills the tea on her man in delicious detail, […]

   • 2013, "The Ones To Watch", Brink Magazine, Issue 26, February/March 2013, page 17:

     Four different entrepreneurs and talents spill the tea on success, failure and lessons learned.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:spill the tea.

Synonyms

• spill the beans

Translations

Translations

• Armenian: թափել թեյը (tʻapʻel tʻeyə)
• Danish: spild teen
• Greek: χύστε το τσάι (chýste to tsái)
• Italian: svuota il sacco, sputare il rospo, vuotare il sacco (it), spifferare (it)
• Polish: uchylać rąbka tajemnicy impf, uchylić rąbka tajemnicy (pl) pf
• Sicilian: curtigghiari
• Swedish: spilla teet

See also

• tea (“information, especially sensitive and/or juicy gossip”)