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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Slang for "on the quiet," attested from 1874.
Pronunciation
Prepositional phrase
on the Q.T.
- (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.
Translations