Millennials ‘spill the beans’, while Gen Z ‘spills the tea’, study says
Popular English idioms such as ‘spill the beans’ are evolving as they pass from one generation to the next, according to the British Council.
While millennials like to “spill the beans”, Gen Z will ask you to “spill the tea”, a new study on the evolution of English phrases suggests.
Popular English idioms are evolving as they pass from one generation to the next, according to the British Council.
In its report on 100 phrases which show how the English language is changing, the British Council said that while classic idioms such as “kill two birds with one stone” remain widely used, newer phrases are gaining momentum – and the top expressions vary between older generations, millennials and Gen Z.
“Spill the beans” was first recorded in 1919, the report said, but saw a surge in the 1990s.
Similar phrase “spill the tea” – meaning to share gossip – grew in popularity from 2017 thanks to social media, the British Council said.
According to the study, expressions such as “step up to the plate”, “bad-mouthing” and “below the belt” are frequently used among older generations but could be falling out of fashion as they rarely appear in comments on YouTube or Twitch – sites which have younger demographics.
One phrase that is a major green flag is “red flag/green flag”, as it appears in the top 20 list for usage for all three generation groups, the British Council study showed.
