under the table

• under-the-table (attributive use)

under the table

1. (adjectival) Secret; covert; undisclosed.
2. (adverbial) Secretly; covertly; undisclosedly.

   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.

   • 2015, Elizabeth Royte, Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them., National Geographic (December 2015)

     The 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.

3. In or into a state of stupification or boredom.
4. In or into a state of drunkenness.

   Synonym: under the mahogany

5. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see under,‎ table.

• drink someone under the table
• talk someone under the table
• under the counter
• underhanded

• “under the table”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.