off-the-record

American  

[awf-thuh-rek-erd, of-] / ˈɔf ðəˈrɛk ərd, ˈɒf- /

adjective

1. not for publication; not to be quoted.

   a candidate's off-the-record remarks to reporters.

2. confidential.

   off-the-record information.

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off the record British  

adjective

1. not intended for publication or disclosure; confidential

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adverb

1. with such an intention; unofficially

off the record Idioms  

1. Unofficially, in confidence, not for publication, as in What he was about to say, he told the reporters, was strictly off the record. Probably alluding to striking evidence from a court record (because it is irrelevant or improper), this term came into wide use in the mid-1900s, especially with reference to persons who did not wish to be quoted by journalists. For antonyms, see go on record; just for the record.

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Etymology

Origin of off-the-record

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Some in government have blamed the 48-year-old adviser for being behind the briefings - and of importing a culture of off-the-record chats with journalists from opposition into Downing Street.

From BBC

It's a word which comes up again and again at the moment in off-the-record conversations with ministers, government advisers and Labour MPs.

From BBC

A chorus of off-the-record criticism, much of it strikingly personal, threatened to overwhelm the government.

From BBC

The memo said that Google Chat is “off-the-record for direct and group messages” and includes “the ability to chat with external users.”

From Los Angeles Times

In June 2022, after Terry attended a private “off-the-record” meeting that included Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, senior State Department officials and several other Korea policy experts, a South Korean agent in a car registered to the South Korean Embassy picked her up and photographed her handwritten notes, according to the indictment.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• confidentially
• privately