on the QT
(redirected from on the q.t)on the QT
Confidential(ly); secret(ly); without anyone else knowing. "QT" is an abbreviation of "quiet." Please keep this information on the QT until we are ready to make a public announcement. It turns out he's been writing a romance novel on the QT.
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Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
on the QT
quietly; secretly. (An abbreviation of quiet.) The company president was making payments to his wife on the QT. The mayor accepted a bribe on the QT.
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McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
on the Q.T.
Secretly, as in They told her on the Q.T. that she was being promoted. This slangy term, in which Q.T. is an abbreviation for "quiet," was first recorded in 1884.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
on the QT
OLD-FASHIONEDIf you do something on the QT, you do it secretly. Note: `QT' is sometimes written as `q.t.'. It is pronounced `q t', as if you were spelling it out. They've asked our government to help them. All on the QT, of course. Many of the companies had been selling weapons to the terrorists for years, openly or on the q.t. Note: In this expression, `QT' is short for `quiet'.
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Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
on the q.t.
secretly or secret; without anyone noticing. informalq.t. is a humorous abbreviation of quiet .
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Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
on the QT
mod. in secret; secretly. (From QuieT.) He said it on the QT so no one else knows except you and me.
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McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
on the QT
Clandestinely, secretly. This slangy expression, dating from the late 1800s, uses QT as an abbreviation for “quiet.” George Moore had it in A Mummer’s Wife (1887), “It will be possible to have one spree on the strict Q.T.”
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The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
on the Q.T.
Confidentially. “Q.T.” is simply a shortened form of the word “quiet.” You're being told something on the Q.T. is to be asked to keep it under your hat.
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Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price