The expressions “throw shade”, “throwing shade”, or simply “shade”, are slang terms for a certain type of insult, often nonverbal. Journalist Anna Holmes called shade “the art of the sidelong insult”. Merriam-Webster defines it as “subtle, sneering expression of contempt for or disgust with someone—sometimes verbal, and sometimes not”
I’m not from the US, and the usage from the 1800s was “to throw a shade on”, and all the other usages on Wikipedia’s article are from the 1980’s and later. I don’t think it’s fair to say it’s been used for hundreds of years.
The 2015 popularization sounds about right for when I first started hearing “throwing shade”, but this is legitimately my first time seeing “shades” used like this in its own.
When readers hate the word “slams”, but you still need a word that fits the same role.
“Shades” means protecting something from the sun. Isn’t there a better word that doesn’t mean “protects”? Lol
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_shade
Its been used for hundreds of years mate, get with the times.
Thanks for that!
I’m not from the US, and the usage from the 1800s was “to throw a shade on”, and all the other usages on Wikipedia’s article are from the 1980’s and later. I don’t think it’s fair to say it’s been used for hundreds of years.
The 2015 popularization sounds about right for when I first started hearing “throwing shade”, but this is legitimately my first time seeing “shades” used like this in its own.
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Slamming means closing something hard. It has an exclusively negative connotation unless you’re talking about sex, I guess.
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Good point! Not protecting, but definitely a positive connotation.