Many were quick to compare the photo to the Crying Jordan meme.

‘Yeet’ explained: What does it mean and where did it come from?.

The “but that’s none of my business” meme later took on new life in 2016 when a photo of LeBron James crying while embracing teammate Kevin Love became a viral meme after he led the Cleveland Cavaliers to its first NBA championship title in franchise history. #thatsnoneofmybusinesstho #butthatsnoneofmybusiness #kermitthesnitch #kermit #noneofmybusiness #notmybusinessĪ post shared by Kermit on at 9:47pm PDT Within months, the still image of Kermit drinking a cup of tea quickly spread across the internet like wildfire as a subtle form of call-out culture-typically paired with a snarky caption followed by, “…but that’s none of my business.”Īn Instagram account amassed over 130,000 followers at the time, in just four days after its June 20 launch, and just a few days later a Tumblr account called Kermit the Snitch also began sharing memes. The term “tea” took on a whole new life, however, when Lipton released the following “Be More Tea” commercial in a joint promotion with the film Muppets Most Wanted, which was released March 21, 2014. “These gay kids carry on … They give you dance and great tea.” Given the source, it only makes sense that, eventually, the word made its way to the drag scene. Because everyone conforms,” quoted a subject known only as Nate. Tea is often served during or after drag pageants, especially in online chat sites like Carrie Fairfield where gossip feeding frenzies involving the latest drag related news are a common occurrence.Īccording to Merriam-Webster, the very first known appearance of the word “tea” in its current slang context came from the 1991 research publication, “ One of the Children: An Ethnography of Identity and Gay Black Men,” by William G. Often, but not always, drag drama is associated. In the drag community, tea is particularly juicy or sought after gossip or info.

Usage of the word really picked up steam in the drag community-the Black drag community, in particular-as another entry from 2010 states:

Urban Dictionary’s top definition dating back to 2003 states that tea is “gossip or personal information belonging to someone else the scoop news Spill the tea about what happened at the club.” The tea can be sipped, served, or spilled, depending on whether someone is simply enjoying a good bit of gossip or spreading it on their own.īut how did this bit of internet slang become so ingrained in our collective vernacular? The most obvious origin is that it was ostensibly derived from imagery of housewives or little old ladies sitting around drinking tea while sharing the neighborhood gossip. You know, the dirt, juice, scoop… whatever you want to call it. By now, most of us are familiar with the term “tea,” but not in the context of, say, the hot beverage made by steeping dried, crushed tea leaves in boiling water-but as in the goss.

Tea sip definition