From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles


it's a new expression for me!


>>> No, the phrase rCLspill the tearCY was not used in Victorian times to mean sharing gossip.

The expression as it's used today originates from 20th-century American Black drag and LGBTQ+ culture, becoming popular in mainstream slang only recently, especially from the late 2010s onward.


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........... it has become a mainstay among Gen Z and online communities since its surge in popularity from 2017, thanks to social media.

Recent British Council research (2025) shows that while millennials are more likely to say "spill the beans," Gen Z overwhelmingly favors "spill the tea."

The phrase continues gaining momentum rather than returning from obsolescence.


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The English phrase rCLspill the tearCY means to gossip or share juicy, typically secret information.


French:

rCLRaconter des potinsrCY (to tell gossip)

ex: -2 Allez, raconte les potins ! -+ ("Come on, spill the tea!")

rCLBalancer les ragotsrCY (rCLto dish the rumorsrCY)

German:
rCLAuspackenrCY (literally rCLto unpackrCY rCo to reveal secrets/gossip)

ex: rCRKomm, pack aus!rCL ("Come on, spill the tea!")

rCLTratsch erz|nhlenrCY (rCLto tell gossiprCY)

ex: rCRErz|nhl mir den Tratsch!rCL ("Tell me the gossip!")

Spanish:
rCLContar el chismerCY (rCLto tell the gossiprCY)

ex: -2 Cu|-ntame el chisme. -+ ("Spill the tea.")

rCLSuelta la soparCY (rCLDrop the souprCY rCo colloquial Mexican/Latin American slang for spilling juicy info)

ex: -2 -iSuelta la sopa! -+ ("Spill the tea!")

Italian:
rCLSpettegolarerCY (to gossip)

ex: