"No tea, no shade"

“Spill the tea” (or “spill the T”) means the same thing as “spill the beans”—to gossip, to spill (tell) information, to tell the truth (“T” or “tea” stands for “truth”). “My T” was said by the transgender club performer The Lady Chablis and printed in the non-fiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1994) by John Berendt.

“Spill the tea” was posted on the newsgroup soc.motss on August 27, 2004, and was entered in the Urban Dictionary on May 12, 2008. “Cant wait to spill the T” was posted on Twitter by WhatsTheT on March 9, 2009.

The slang sense of “shade” is often in the phrase “throw shade.” “Shade” was explained by trans woman, drag performer, and fashion designer Dorian Corey (1937-1993) in the documentary film Paris Is Burning (1990). “Shade” was defined in the Urban Dictionary on March 31, 2006, as “to talk trash about a friend or aquaintance, to publicly denounce or disrespect.”

“No tea, no shade” (or “no T, no shade”) means “this is the truth, no gossip and no disrespect.” “No tea no shade” was posted on Twitter by theGQ_GentleMAN on April 17, 2009. “No T, No Shade” was posted on Twitter by pepper34 on May 19, 2009. “No Tea No Shade” was entered in the Urban Dictionary on September 12, 2009.

“No shade, no tea” was posted on Twitter by Reggie on May 4, 2009. “I’m staying in NYC. No shade. No T” was posted on Twitter by Marquis Phifer on July 9, 2009. “No Shade No Tea” was entered in the Urban Dictionary on May 3, 2018.

“Lemonade” is often added for rhyming purposes. “No tea No shade No Lemonade” was posted on Twitter by Armon…. on February 11, 2010. “NO TEA! NO SHADE! NO LEMONADE!” was posted on Twitter by Bre on March 27, 2011. “No tea no shade just lemonade!” was posted on Twitter by Christopher Sims on May 26, 2011. “No tea no shade just lemonade” was entered in the Urban Dictionary on November 25, 2018.

“Pink lemonade” is often added. “No tea, No shade, No pink lemonade” was posted on Twitter by illestQueenAlive on December 26, 2011. “No T,No Shade,No Pink Lemonade” was posted on Twitter by Ivan on March 8, 2014. “No T, no shade, no pink lemonade. #rpdr” was posted on Twitter by IAMXtopher on February 19, 2015. This last citation was based on previews of the seventh season opener of the American reality competition television series RuPaul’s Drag Race that aired on March 2, 2015, where “No tea, no shade, no pink lemonade” was said—but not coined—by Jasmine Masters (the stage name of Martell Robinson).

“No tea no shade no pink lemonade” was entered in the Urban Dictionary on September 16, 2017. “No t no shade no pink lemonade” was entered in the Urban Dictionary on August 16, 2018.

“That’s the tea” is another “tea” saying.

Wiktionary: no tea, no shade
Adverb
no tea, no shade (not comparable)
1. (LGBT slang, idiomatic) Indicating that no offence is meant, that the speaker is merely making an observation.

YouTube
Paris Is Burning Reading
May 22, 2013
Darnell Ny
Dorian Corey talks about Reading.Featuring Venus Xtravaganza.

Google Books
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil:
A Savannah Story
By John Berendt
New York, NY: Random House
1994
Pg. ?:
“Plus, when black boys find out my T, honey, they be ready to kick my ass.”

“Your T?”

“Yeah, my T. My thing, my business, what’s goin’ on in my life.”

Google Groups: soc.motss
There’s no joy in Meadville…
Mike McKinley
8/27/04
(...)
You know, there is a certain Texas author who was buddies with W in Houston during his lost years. I’m sure that he could spill the tea on Georgie-poo if he would so choose.

Urban Dictionary
throw shade
to talk trash about a friend or aquaintance, to publicly denounce or disrespect. When throwing shade it’s immediately obvious to on-lookers that the thrower, and not the throwee, is the bitcy, uncool one
“How does Kimmy keep any friends? Last night at the party all she did was throw shade at people.”
#bitchy complaining#cattiness to the extreme#being two-faced#being playfully hateful#being a mean queen
by mary’s sister March 31, 2006

Urban Dictionary
spill the tea
when one tells an especially juicy bit of gossip
“Girl, did you know Renee is having ANOTHER baby? And the babby daddy is the same guy who she found out has been cheating on her!”
“OMG, spill the tea on that drama!!!!”
#gossip#news#slander#scandal#rumor
by Jana617 May 12, 2008

Twitter
Miss Kitty
@kittyfix
I just got the super scoop on Chris brown and lil Wayne. Can’t wait to spill the tea on it.
12:06 AM - 3 Aug 2008

Twitter
WhatsTheT
@WhatsTheT
Just got some big news from 1 of the promoters here in atl. Cant wait to spill the T. Make sure your calendar is clr for Wed nite 03/18
11:58 AM - 9 Mar 2009

Twitter
NOT MY PRESIDENT
@jinxiejinxx32
@tjholmescnn wow what are you doing in nyc come on spill the t!!!!! An ur gettn up painfully early in the mrn
9:52 PM - 31 Mar 2009

Twitter
theGQ_GentleMAN
@TheWALKofTEXAS
@ChinoArmani LOL no tea no shade hunni!!just light the RIGHT END lol
11:53 AM - 17 Apr 2009

Twitter
theGQ_GentleMAN
@TheWALKofTEXAS
@Cztron But bitch NO TEA NO SHADE when we get FADED hunni we get FADED!
11:55 AM - 17 Apr 2009

Twitter
Trey Snippets
@ayoyungstar
no tea no shade
3:29 PM - 18 Apr 2009

YouTube
No Tea No Shade I Need To Get Paid!
Qaadir Howard
Published on May 4, 2009
This is ridiculous, YouTube is trippin! Oh and I did those birthday request on BlogTv =)
-Qaadir

Twitter
Reggie
@vanverbatim
hit’n it back to the valley. patty got me all hot & bothered. no shade, no tea.
8:40 PM - 4 May 2009

Twitter
Glamo
@SimplyGlamo
Sidebar: With all the media I must say that…I’m gay but don’t know about marrying a man, lol! True T, NO SHADE.
4:49 PM - 18 May 2009

Twitter
pepper34
@pepper34
Replying to @certifiedsim
@certifiedsim.No T, No Shade. Flying Bullets don’t lie
11:01 PM - 19 May 2009

Twitter
Maurice Good
@Letzjusbfriendz
damn I really wanna throw shade 2 sum1 I c n here, cuz they tried 2 shade me on here…hmmm, but I won’t..no t no shade…
1:45 AM - 21 May 2009

Twitter
Marquis Phifer
@MarquisPhifer
I’m staying in NYC. No shade. No T
1:45 AM - 9 Jul 2009

Urban Dictionary
No Tea No Shade
A phrase meaning:
I’m not trying to come for you or offend you, but this is what its really like.
A phrase you add at the beginning or the end of a sentence that can be seen as negative to somebody, but its not supposed to be, and just stating the obvious.
Made popular by Qaadir <3<3<3
Ex. 1 - Girl! No Tea No Shade, but you need to fix your hair.
Ex. 2 - Girl please! I can’t get with some one I’m not attracted to, No Tea No Shade!
#shade#no offence#clockin’#fever#and things of that nature.
by <3QaaDir September 12, 2009

Twitter
Armon….
@TheQuickWitted1
Replying to @TheHumbled1
@muziqdude329 :: No tea No shade No Lemonade.
9:29 PM - 11 Feb 2010

Twitter
Bre 🌺
@_whereiBLong
NO TEA! NO SHADE! NO LEMONADE!
8:53 PM - 27 Mar 2011

Twitter
Christopher Sims
@christyle2009
Replying to @_DreCooley
@cscrap2 @capitulatedmind @cedrickc1 no tea no shade just lemonade!
2:43 PM - 26 May 2011

Twitter
illestQueenAlive
@NoWorries420
No tea
No shade
No pink lemonade
6:39 PM - 26 Dec 2011

Urban Dictionary
No Tea, No Shade
No offence, no disrespect.
Stace: She looks like a busted ass hood dog
Emily: No tea, no shade! Holler.
#no#tea#no#shade#honey#holler
by LemLapSake January 08, 2012

BuzzFeed
A Beginner’s Guide To Drag-Speak
BuzzFeed’s House Mother-in-Residence gives you the vocabulary you need to werk it out. Get out your reading glasses, hunty. The library is open!
Posted on February 4, 2013, at 5:13 p.m.
Saeed Jones
(...)
10. Shade |SHād|
noun / verb: a similar but more subtle way of reading someone.

“No tea, no shade, but plastic surgery wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to you.”

(Shade is an art and should be left to the experts.)

Twitter
Ivan
@TheOkayIvan
No T,No Shade,No Pink Lemonade
3:56 PM - 8 Mar 2014

Twitter
sad bee 🐝
@paranoid_pixie
no tea no shade no pink lemonade
5:59 PM - 9 Mar 2014

Twitter
joseph
@cemeteryboy
no tea no shade no pink lemonade
12:32 PM - 19 Feb 2015

Twitter
IAMXtopher
@ChasingTheGhost
No T, no shade, no pink lemonade. #rpdr
1:30 PM - 19 Feb 2015

IMDb (The Internet Movie Database)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (TV Series)
Born Naked (2015) (Originally aired on March 2, 2015.—ed.)
Quotes
Martell Robinson - Jasmine Masters: No T, no shade, no pink lemonade.

Twitter
(Angel)ika
@angelikamariem
No tea, no shade, just pink lemonade
1:58 PM - 5 Mar 2015

YouTube
Catchphrases of Season 7 - 12 Days of Crowning: RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7
WOWPresents
Published on May 27, 2015
0:10
“No T, no shade, no pink lemonade. I say it twenty times a day.”

A Way with Words
No Tea, No Shade
Posted by grantbarrett on May 20, 2016
The slang expression “No Tea, No Shade,” meaning “No disrespect, but …” is common in the drag community, where T means “truth.” The related phrase “All Tea, All Shade,” means “This statement is true, so I don’t care if it offends you or not.” At least as early as the 1920’s the slang verb to shade has meant “to defeat.”

Gina Dao Design
T, Shade, and Pink Lemonade
march 28, 2017 ginadaodesign
“No tea, no shade, no pink lemonade,” is an iconic quote originating from Rupaul’s Drag Race. The statement has gained popularity among internet users and is now frequently said by many who are reading an individual or scenario—yet is being used loosely and incorrectly. “Tea” stands for truth while “shade” is slang for “diss”.

Urban Dictionary
no tea no shade no pink lemonade
This term was coined as a catchphrase by the drag queen Jasmine Masters in 2015 and has had a large impact on her fans ever since. Initially, it means the same as “no tea no shade”, but it just extends the same term and makes it even better.
“No tea no shade no pink lemonade, but that lace front wig looks like an over-processed toaster strudel.”
#drag queen#rupauls drag race#catchphrases#jasmine masters#i am jasmine masters and i’ve got something to say#drag#gay slang
by 24J.A.G24 September 16, 2017

Urban Dictionary
No Shade No Tea
Not trying to offend you, but it is offensive. Like “no offense” but like offense. Way to be mean without seeming like your trying be mean
Me: You fucking suck but like no shade no tea
by Iamahypebeast May 03, 2018

Urban Dictionary
No t no shade no pink lemonade
A phrase said by drag queens typically before shade is thrown.
“No t no shade no pink lemonade but her look is busted”
via giphy
#rupaul#drag#drag queen
by lillukey August 16, 2018

Urban Dictionary
no tea no shade just lemonade
no gossip (tea) no being mean and roasting people (throwing shade) it’s just lemonade! explained by me and created by Tana Mongeau
we are just friends no tea no shade just lemonade
#tana mongeau bitches
by hiwelcometochilli’s November 25, 2018