Throw shade ( slang ) - wikipedia Throw shade ( slang ) This article appears to be a dictionary definition. Please rewrite it to present the subject from an encyclopedic point of view. If it can not be turned into a full encyclopedia article in the near future, consider moving it to Wiktionary. Steps for moving to Wiktionary : Check that this article meets Wiktionary 's criteria for inclusion. Check that Wiktionary does not have an article on this word or phrase, as verified using the search page. If Wiktionary has a definition already, change this tag to ( ( TWCleanup2 ) ) or else consider a soft redirect to Wiktionary by replacing the text on this page with ( ( Wi ) ). If Wiktionary does not have the definition yet, consider moving the whole article to Wiktionary by replacing this tag with the template ( ( Copy to Wiktionary ) ). This template will no longer automatically categorize articles as candidates to move to Wiktionary. Not to be confused with Throwing Shade. The expressions `` throw shade, `` throwing shade '', or simply `` shade '', are slang terms used to describe insults. Merriam - Webster defines `` shade '' as `` subtle, sneering expression of contempt for or disgust with someone -- sometimes verbal, and sometimes not ''. OxfordDictionaries.com defines `` throw shade '' as a phrase used to `` publicly criticize or express contempt for someone ''. Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 External links History The slang version of `` shade '' originated from the black and Latino gay communities, and was initially strictly used by those communities. The first major use of `` shade '' that introduced the slang to the greater public was in the documentary film Paris Is Burning ( 1990 ), which is about the mid-1980s drag scene in Manhattan. In the documentary, one of the drag queens, Dorian Corey, explains what `` shade '' means. She says, `` Shade is, I do n't have to tell you you 're ugly, because you know you 're ugly. '' The expression was popularized by the American reality television series RuPaul 's Drag Race. In 2015, Anna Holmes of The New York Times Magazine wrote : Shade can take many forms -- a hard, deep look that could be either aggressive or searching, a compliment that could be interpreted as the opposite of one. E. Patrick Johnson, who teaches performance studies and African - American studies at Northwestern University, and who has written about the tradition of insults in the gay and black communities, explains : `` If someone walks into a room with a hideous dress, but you do n't want to say it 's hideous, you might say, ' Oooh... look at you ! ' ' '' At its most refined, shade should have an element of plausible deniability, so that the shade - thrower can pretend that he or she did n't actually mean to behave with incivility, making it all the more delicious. See also Look up throw shade in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. LGBT slang List of LGBT slang terms Yas ( slang ) References ^ Jump up to : `` The Underground Art of the Insult ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 02. ^ Jump up to : `` What Does ' Throw Shade ' Mean ? ''. Merriam - Webster. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 02. Jump up ^ Katy Steinmetz ( 2014 - 08 - 13 ). `` Oxford Dictionary Additions : Hot Mess, Side Boob, Throw Shade ''. Time.com. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 02. Jump up ^ Lopez, Linette. `` This is where the expression ' throw shade ' comes from ''. Business Insider. Business Insider. Missing or empty url = ( help ) ; access - date = requires url = ( help ) External links LGBT portal Moore, Darnell L. ( March 29, 2013 ). `` Tongues Untied : Shade Culture -- Throwing Shade, Reflecting Light ''. The Huffington Post. Brown, Kara ( December 17, 2014 ). `` Shade Court Is in Session ''. Jezebel.com. Rodriguez, Mathew ( April 27, 2016 ). `` Merriam - Webster Threw Shade at People Who Do n't Know the Word Genderqueer ''. Mic.com. Ball culture topics Culture Ball culture Index of LGBT African - American culture Index of LGBT Latino American culture Documentary films How Do I Look Kiki Paris Is Burning Music Electronic dance music House music Aviance Records Dance Vogue Language Banjee Kiki Throw shade Yas Image by William H. Johnson, born Florence, SC 1901 - died Central Islip, NY 1970 House founders and members House founders Crystal LaBeija Dorian Corey Paris Dupree Willi Ninja Artists Pepper LaBeija Benjamin Milan Benny Ninja Javier Ninja Octavia St. Laurent Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza Angie Xtravaganza Danni Xtravaganza The House of Aviance Mother Juan Aviance ( founder ) Aviance Records ( label ) Erickatoure Aviance Jean - Philippe Aviance Kevin Aviance Tamsier Joof Aviance Related topics African culture African dance African - American culture African - American dance LGBT African Americans Imperial Court System Cross dressing ball Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Throw_shade_(slang)&oldid=846327741 '' Categories : 2010s slang Ball culture LGBT slang Words coined in the 1990s Hidden categories : Pages using web citations with no URL Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL Flagged dictionary definitions Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 18 June 2018, at 01 : 08 ( UTC ). 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Question: where does the phrase throwing shade come from
Answer: the black and Latino gay communities