under the rose
1
9.5
- idiom
- Literature
- All negotiations took place under the rose until an agreement was reached.
Examples
-
The committee discussed the issue under the rose to avoid public attention.
-
Sensitive information was shared under the rose among trusted colleagues only.
-
Please keep it under the rose for now!
-
The meeting was held under the rose.
-
All negotiations took place under the rose until an agreement was reached.
-
Sensitive information was shared under the rose among trusted colleagues only.
-
The committee discussed the issue under the rose to avoid public attention.
Synonyms
247
1.4
In a way that other people do not know
200
4.9
In a private way, away from the public view
179
3.2
In a way not shared with other people
77
4.1
In private and not open to the public
68
2.5
In a way other people do not know
53
4.3
Happening in private and away from public view
31
6.0
Most people do not know about it
15
7.5
Done secretly to hide payments and avoid the law
11
4.4
In a private way so no one else knows
9
8.9
Kept secret and not told to other people
3
8.0
In a secret way to avoid being seen or found
3
9.5
In secret and not in public
2
9.9
In secret so other people do not know
1
8.6
In secret and quietly so nobody finds out
1
9.9
In a secret way to keep something private
1
7.7
In private and away from public attention
1
9.9
Happening secretly to keep it private
Antonyms
How Secret
- Literature
1
9.5
180
5.3
68
2.5
197
2.4
404
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
under + the + rose
The sense 'in secret' cannot be derived from the literal meanings of 'under' + 'the' + 'rose' — the image of being physically under a rose does not transparently signal confidentiality. This idiomatic meaning comes from the historical/cultural Latin phrase 'sub rosa' and is not predictable to a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Under the rose may come from an old custom where a rose was hung above a meeting table to show the talk must stay secret. People sitting 'under the rose' knew their words would not be told to others, so the phrase now means 'in secret'.