(under-the-table when prenominal) done illicitly and secretly
slang drunk
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
North Korea’s pre-Covid economy had increasingly centered on black markets selling goods smuggled from China or under-the-table local goods—and with it the rise of a “donju” merchant class who made their wealth outside state control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
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
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
This time was different as within seconds, we were under the table.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026
Chinese authorities have tried to counter the competitive learning culture by cracking down on cram schools in recent years -- but tutoring, paid under the table, remains in demand.
From Barron's ● Dec. 30, 2025
She coped by dabbing at her face with a small navy blue towel that magically appeared from under the table.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
It’s a better and more transparent system than, say, local car dealers offering athletes tricked-out pickup trucks under the table.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
At first, the sounds came from under the table, but when the group sang, the raps thumped in time to the music on the table’s top.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
