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Synonyms

under-the-table

American  
[uhn-der-thuh-tey-buhl] / ˈʌn dər ðəˈteɪ bəl /

adjective

  1. transacted in secret or in an underhanded manner.

under the table British  

adjective

  1. (under-the-table when prenominal) done illicitly and secretly

  2. slang drunk

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
under the table Idioms  

  1. In secret, as in They paid her under the table so as to avoid taxes. This term alludes to money being passed under a table in some shady transaction, such as a bribe. [Mid-1900s] Also see under the counter.

Etymology

Origin of under-the-table

First recorded in 1945–50

Explanation

Anything that happens under-the-table is taking place secretly, like under-the-table payments that are illegal. The things on a table are easily seen, but it's not as easy to see what's happening under the table. That can help you remember that under-the-table activities are secret, covert, confidential, and sometimes illegal. If two businesses have an under-the-table agreement, no one else knows about it. If a company pays someone under-the-table, the money is not documented and therefore won't be taxed. Just about everything spies do happens under-the-table.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Her mother, Mirian, had recently left an under-the-table job at a Queens restaurant that paid just $500 for 84 hours of work each week.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2024

Pilot’s former CEO also extended the offer of under-the-table payments to at least 10 other executives in April, according to Berkshire’s filing.

From Washington Times • Nov. 29, 2023

That is the single ingredient lacking in her partnership with Carmy, which he admits during their under-the-table heart-to-heart.

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2023

She cycled through seven under-the-table jobs - as a babysitter, housekeeper, waitress and construction worker - within the first year.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2023

Dr. Stables remarks on the unfairness of this under-the-table stabbing, when most probably the caterer is doing his best to please.

From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 1 by Whymper, Frederick

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.