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• under-the-counter
  under-the-counter

  adjective

  (of merchandise) sold clandestinely.
• under the counter
  under the counter

  Secretly, surreptitiously, as in I'm sure they're selling liquor to minors under the counter. This expression most often alludes to an illegal transaction, the counter being the flat-surfaced furnishing or table over which legal business is conducted. It was first recorded in 1926. Also see under the table.

under-the-counter

American  

[uhn-der-thuh-koun-ter] / ˈʌn dər ðəˈkaʊn tər /

adjective

1. (of merchandise) sold clandestinely.

2. illegal; unauthorized.

   under-the-counter payments.

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under the counter Idioms  

1. Secretly, surreptitiously, as in I'm sure they're selling liquor to minors under the counter. This expression most often alludes to an illegal transaction, the counter being the flat-surfaced furnishing or table over which legal business is conducted. It was first recorded in 1926. Also see under the table.

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Etymology

Origin of under-the-counter

First recorded in 1945–50

Explanation

Anything under-the-counter happens secretly — it's hush hush. All illegal drug deals are under-the-counter. An over-the-counter drug can be purchased without a doctor's prescription. The same is true of under-the-counter drugs, but look out: anything that happens under-the-counter is secret and possibly illegal, much like under-the-table payments. It can help you remember the meaning of this phrase if you remember that over-the-counter activities can be seen, while under-the-counter activities can't. Buying a bootleg DVD on the street is another under-the-counter transaction, whereas buying a DVD in a local store is an over-the-counter transaction.