on the Q.T.

Slang for "on the quiet," attested from 1874.

• "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'."
• "[R]ound up some of our friends on the q.t. Don't let Brill get a notion of what's in the air."
• "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."
• "But most are cozy affairs, kept strictly on the Q.T. Nothing is done in writing—no invitations, no tickets, just quiet phone calls."
• "You heard it first here, dear readers... off the record, "on the Q.T.", and very Hush Hush."
• "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."
• "“This is hush-hush,” Mr. Fleischer recalled Mr. Libby as saying in effect. “This is on the Q.T. Not many people know about this.”"