on the QT
3
9.5
- idiom
- Informal
- keep this on the QT
Examples
-
Honey, this entree news is on the QT and must go no further than this very room.
-
On the QT:
Blog text (8) -
The plan to surprise her for her birthday was kept on the QT to ensure it remained a secret.
-
He provided the information to his colleague on the QT, wanting to keep it away from their manager.
-
The local community made sure the event was organized on the QT so only invited guests could attend.
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
26
7.5
People keep it secret from most others to avoid being noticed
11
4.4
In a private way so no one else knows
2
9.9
In secret so other people do not know
1
9.5
In secret so only a few people know
Antonyms
How Secret
- Formal
3
8.0
247
1.4
- Informal
3
9.5
179
3.2
28
5.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
on + the + QT
The items 'on' and 'the' are grammatical function words and 'QT' is an abbreviation/slang (historically from 'quiet') whose link to the meaning 'secretly' is not obvious to a B1 learner. Because the key lexical piece ('QT') is non-transparent and the phrase is idiomatic, the overall meaning cannot be reliably derived from the constituents.
Etymology
The idiom on the QT comes from using the letters QT to stand for the word 'quiet' a long time ago. If something was done on the QT, it was kept quiet, so today the phrase means 'in a secret way'.