under the counter
1
7.4
- idiom
:
bajo el mostrador
- He keeps it under the counter, little pistol.
- keep them under the counter
- gun under the counter
- hidden under the counter
Examples
-
I have to sell them under the counter for obvious reasons, but people are buying 'em.
-
Shopkeepers keep guns under the counter.
-
The whiskey was kept under the counter.
Fiction book (2001) -
Taking one from under the counter, he showed where to strike it so that the lock sprang open.
Fiction book (2001) -
She keeps it just under the counter.
-
Stuff that's sold under the counter, illegally.
-
Under the counter, they saw wax matches and cigarettes, sold one by one from an open box.
Fiction book (2001) -
Keep cut lemon wedges under the counter so you don't have to go back in the kitchen for them; it saves time.
Fiction book (2001) -
"There's been a misunderstanding, sir," he said then, raking them toward him and dropping them under the counter without giving them a second glance.
Fiction book (2001) -
The shop sells these items under the counter to avoid legal issues.
Synonyms
56
2.5
In a way other people do not know
9
7.5
Done secretly to hide payments and avoid the law
Sold or done secretly to avoid the law
Antonyms
How Secret
- Formal
4
8.0
17
6.9
1
7.4
261
1.4
174
3.2
303
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
under + the + counter
The idiomatic sense ('in a secret or illegal way') is a metaphorical extension of the literal spatial idea of something being 'under' a 'counter' (hidden from view), so learners who know the parts can often infer secrecy but not necessarily the specific illicit/sales nuance. Because it depends on cultural knowledge of clandestine transactions and is not a fully compositional meaning, it is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Under the counter comes from shopkeepers who hid goods under the counter and sold them quietly to certain customers. That's why it now means 'in a secret or illegal way'.