tea shades

noun

Tinted eyeglasses (spectacles) with circular lenses.

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Meanings

nountea shades pl (plural only, attributive tea-shade or tea shade)

attributive tea-shade · attributive tea shade · alternative teashades

  1. pluralplural onlyTinted eyeglasses (spectacles) with circular lenses.

    Indeed: KNOW YOUR DOPE FIEND. YOUR LIFE MAY DEPEND ON IT! You will not be able to see his eyes because of Tea-Shades, but his knuckles will be white from inner tension and his pants will be crusted with semen from constantly jacking off when he can’t find a rape victim.

    1982, Thompson, Hunter S, Fear and loathing in Las Vegas : a savage journey to the heart of the American dream

Origin

For their use in the beat culture to hide redness of the eyes caused by Marijuana use, known at the time by the slang term "tea".

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish pullonpohjalasit
  • pullonpohjalasitcircular sunglasses
Polish lenonki przeciwsłoneczne
  • lenonki przeciwsłonecznecircular sunglasses
Cite this entry
APA

tea shades. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tea%20shades

MLA

“tea shades.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tea%20shades. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tea shades,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tea%20shades.

Source: tea shades on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.