talking tea

I have a special spot in my heart for tea and language. If I had a google alert that monitored how often I talk tea, then my inbox would be flooded with updates. And as a lover of words and their origins, I thought I would take a second to gather a few expressions that are tea related. After some thinking and searching, this is what I found:

tea for two, two for tea

a song in the musical No, No, Nannette in 1925

 

my cup of tea

“This phrase, referring to anything suited to one’s taste, has only been traced back to 1932.”

 

not my cup of tea

Referring to something that one does not like. It was noted as a commonly used 19th century British phrase.

 

not for all the tea in china

“Defined as “not at any price,” references to “all the tea in China” first appeared in Australian slang in the 1890s.”

 

How often do you use these phrases? 

2 Responses

  1. Very cute. I think I say these phrases regularly. I bet there are tons more.

    teaescapade - May 21, 2008 at 2:16 am
  2. there is actually a shop in montreal that is named My Cup of Tea. That store has cool teas.

    zodiacbloom - July 23, 2008 at 9:18 pm

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