under-the-table deals
Secret illicit agreements
Under-the-table deals are secret agreements, especially ones involving cash payments meant to avoid taxes, regulations, or official scrutiny.
The image is of money passing beneath the table where it can't be seen: The contractor offered an under-the-table deal to skip the permits.
The phrase implies something shady but not necessarily illegal—sometimes just informal arrangements kept off the books.
- backroomPrivate space for dealings
- smoke-filled roomSecret political negotiation venue
- back channelUnofficial communication route
- briberyCorrupt payment for influence
- kickbackIllegal payment for services
brown envelope · payoff · corruption · sweetheart deal · shady · illicit · secret · handshake · cash · envelope · off the books · favor · quid-pro-quo · graft · crooked · offshore · laundering · funny money
- corruptioncorruption, graft, kickbacks, bribery, bribes
- Handshake Dealsoral contracts
- back channelsback doors, intermediaries, go-betweens, middlemen, proxies