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View synonyms for under-the-counter
under-the-counter
[ uhn-der-thuh-koun-ter ]
adjective
- (of merchandise) sold clandestinely.
- illegal; unauthorized:
under-the-counter payments.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of under-the-counter1
First recorded in 1945–50
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Idioms and Phrases
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 .Discover More
Example Sentences
“Because of a few who make themselves rich from politics and under-the-counter money, all of us have to pay,” she blogged.
From The Daily Beast
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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.
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