husband's tea
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: husbands’ tea
Sense 1
Meaning · English
Very weak (dilute) tea.
Register: archaic, slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
WELL, I never! Mrs. Morris, why how poor the tea has got all at once! Why, sure enough, it is as bad as husband's tea now!
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Meaning · English
very weak tea. See WATER BEWITCHED.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “husband's tea” mean?
Very weak (dilute) tea.
Is “husband's tea” formal or informal?
husband's tea is generally archaic, slang.