"under the table" meaning in English

See under the table in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Prepositional phrase

Forms: under-the-table [alternative]
Head templates: {{head|en|prepositional phrase}} under the table
  1. (adjectival) Secret; covert; undisclosed. Tags: adjectival
    Sense id: en-under_the_table-en-prep_phrase-knFHZdqr Categories (other): Entries with translation boxes Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 35 15 8 31 12
  2. (adverbial) Secretly; covertly; undisclosedly. Tags: adverbial Translations (secretly): sort (Danish), pimeästi (Finnish), bajo cuerda (Spanish), under bordet (Swedish), bakom kulisserna (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-under_the_table-en-prep_phrase-Ibn5DI22 Categories (other): Entries with translation boxes Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 35 15 8 31 12 Disambiguation of 'secretly': 0 100 0 0 0
  3. In or into a state of stupification or boredom.
    Sense id: en-under_the_table-en-prep_phrase-9nq5w6se
  4. In or into a state of drunkenness. Synonyms: under the mahogany
    Sense id: en-under_the_table-en-prep_phrase-ANHonTdr Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Danish translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 24 23 11 35 7 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 35 15 8 31 12 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 22 22 11 39 7 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 19 21 10 43 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Danish translations: 28 17 6 39 10 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 26 14 9 41 10 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 22 16 7 48 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 26 14 9 41 10
  5. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see under, table. Related terms: drink under the table, talk someone under the table, under the counter, underhanded
    Sense id: en-under_the_table-en-prep_phrase-cR2plKS~ Categories (other): Entries with translation boxes Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 35 15 8 31 12

Alternative forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "under-the-table",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "under the table",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "35 15 8 31 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Secret; covert; undisclosed."
      ],
      "id": "en-under_the_table-en-prep_phrase-knFHZdqr",
      "links": [
        [
          "Secret",
          "secret"
        ],
        [
          "covert",
          "covert"
        ],
        [
          "undisclosed",
          "undisclosed"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(adjectival) Secret; covert; undisclosed."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "adjectival"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "35 15 8 31 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I was paid under the table, so I didn't have to pay taxes on the income but I couldn't complain when I was cheated."
        },
        {
          "text": "2015, Elizabeth Royte, Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them., National Geographic (December 2015)https://web.archive.org/web/20151213095110/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/vultures-text\nThe men tie up their dogs, retrieve what’s left of the lion’s kill, and sprinkle it with a generic form of Furadan, a cheap, fast-acting pesticide that’s readily available under the table."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Secretly; covertly; undisclosedly."
      ],
      "id": "en-under_the_table-en-prep_phrase-Ibn5DI22",
      "links": [
        [
          "Secretly",
          "secretly"
        ],
        [
          "covertly",
          "covertly"
        ],
        [
          "undisclosedly",
          "undisclosedly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(adverbial) Secretly; covertly; undisclosedly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "adverbial"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0 0 0",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "secretly",
          "word": "sort"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0 0 0",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "secretly",
          "word": "pimeästi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0 0 0",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "secretly",
          "word": "bajo cuerda"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0 0 0",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "secretly",
          "word": "under bordet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0 0 0",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "secretly",
          "word": "bakom kulisserna"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "In or into a state of stupification or boredom."
      ],
      "id": "en-under_the_table-en-prep_phrase-9nq5w6se",
      "links": [
        [
          "stupification",
          "stupification"
        ],
        [
          "boredom",
          "boredom"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "24 23 11 35 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 15 8 31 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "22 22 11 39 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 21 10 43 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "28 17 6 39 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Danish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 14 9 41 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "22 16 7 48 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 14 9 41 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In or into a state of drunkenness."
      ],
      "id": "en-under_the_table-en-prep_phrase-ANHonTdr",
      "links": [
        [
          "drunkenness",
          "drunkenness"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "under the mahogany"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "35 15 8 31 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see under, table."
      ],
      "id": "en-under_the_table-en-prep_phrase-cR2plKS~",
      "links": [
        [
          "under",
          "under#English"
        ],
        [
          "table",
          "table#English"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 100",
          "word": "drink under the table"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 100",
          "word": "talk someone under the table"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 100",
          "word": "under the counter"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 100",
          "word": "underhanded"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "under the table"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English prepositional phrases",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Danish translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "under-the-table",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "under the table",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "drink under the table"
    },
    {
      "word": "talk someone under the table"
    },
    {
      "word": "under the counter"
    },
    {
      "word": "underhanded"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Secret; covert; undisclosed."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Secret",
          "secret"
        ],
        [
          "covert",
          "covert"
        ],
        [
          "undisclosed",
          "undisclosed"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(adjectival) Secret; covert; undisclosed."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "adjectival"
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I was paid under the table, so I didn't have to pay taxes on the income but I couldn't complain when I was cheated."
        },
        {
          "text": "2015, Elizabeth Royte, Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them., National Geographic (December 2015)https://web.archive.org/web/20151213095110/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/vultures-text\nThe men tie up their dogs, retrieve what’s left of the lion’s kill, and sprinkle it with a generic form of Furadan, a cheap, fast-acting pesticide that’s readily available under the table."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Secretly; covertly; undisclosedly."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Secretly",
          "secretly"
        ],
        [
          "covertly",
          "covertly"
        ],
        [
          "undisclosedly",
          "undisclosedly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(adverbial) Secretly; covertly; undisclosedly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "adverbial"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "In or into a state of stupification or boredom."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "stupification",
          "stupification"
        ],
        [
          "boredom",
          "boredom"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "In or into a state of drunkenness."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "drunkenness",
          "drunkenness"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "under the mahogany"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see under, table."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "under",
          "under#English"
        ],
        [
          "table",
          "table#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "secretly",
      "word": "sort"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "secretly",
      "word": "pimeästi"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "secretly",
      "word": "bajo cuerda"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "secretly",
      "word": "under bordet"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "secretly",
      "word": "bakom kulisserna"
    }
  ],
  "word": "under the table"
}

Download raw JSONL data for under the table meaning in English (2.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-04-24 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-04-20 using wiktextract (813e02a and ea19a0a). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.