on the Q.T.

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English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Slang for "on the quiet," attested from 1874.

Pronunciation

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Prepositional phrase

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on the Q.T.

  1. (idiomatic) Quietly; in a secretive manner; clandestinely.
    • 1910, Harold MacGrath, chapter 12, in A Splendid Hazard:
      Will you be so kind as to impress him with the fact that this expedition is on the Q.T.? Not that I think he will say anythin'.
    • 1911, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 24, in Mavericks:
      [R]ound up some of our friends on the q.t. Don't let Brill get a notion of what's in the air.
    • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 8: Lestrygonians]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, [], →OCLC:
      All kind of places are good for ads ... Got fellows to stick them up or stick himself for that matter on the q.t. running in to loosen a button. Fly by night.
    • 1962 August 28, Jack Anderson, “Lobbyists Moan Over ‘Shakedown’”, in Sarasota Journal, USA, retrieved 25 Aug. 2010, page 6:
      But most are cozy affairs, kept strictly on the Q.T. Nothing is done in writing—no invitations, no tickets, just quiet phone calls.
    • 1997, LA Confidential:
      You heard it first here, dear readers... off the record, "on the Q.T.", and very Hush Hush.
    • 2005, 00:05:05 from the start, in Brokeback Mountain:
      Now, what I want is a camp tender to stay in the main camp, where the Forest Service says. But the herder is gonna pitch a pup tent on the Q.T. with the sheep and he's gonna sleep there.
    • 2007 January 29, David Stout, “Ex-Bush Aide Contradicts Libby on C.I.A. Agent”, in New York Times, retrieved 25 Aug. 2010:
      “This is hush-hush,” Mr. Fleischer recalled Mr. Libby as saying in effect. “This is on the Q.T. Not many people know about this.”

Translations

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