off-the-record

[awf-thuh-rek-erd, of-]

adjective

1. not for publication; not to be quoted.

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

2. confidential.

   off-the-record information.

off the record

adjective

1. not intended for publication or disclosure; confidential

adverb

1. with such an intention; unofficially

Word History and Origins

Origin of off-the-record¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Idioms and Phrases

Unofficially, in confidence, not for publication, as in What he was about to say, he told the reporters, was strictly off the record.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.

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.

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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.

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

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The operator of an overdose prevention hotline told Salon, off-the-record, that the bulk of their funding comes through Medicaid, “which seems like a pretty major threat.”

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

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• confidentially www.thesaurus.com
• privately www.thesaurus.com