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Business English vocabulary · Negotiations

Under the table

Meaning in business english, with examples

idiomAdvanced term

In business english, under the table means: Secretly, especially when a payment or arrangement avoids official records or rules.

In Turkish: kayıt dışı, gizlice

How it is used

Usually implies concealment or impropriety in business contexts. It is not a neutral synonym for confidential, and it should not be used for ordinary private negotiations.

Example sentences

  1. The auditor asked whether any cash had been paid under the table and omitted from the invoices.

    The concern is concealed payment, not merely a cash transaction that was properly recorded.

  2. We rejected the suggestion to arrange the fee under the table instead of documenting it in the contract.

    The proposed secrecy would remove the fee from the visible agreement.

Common collocations

  • pay under the table
  • an arrangement made under the table
  • invoiceA document sent by a seller that lists the goods or services provided and states how much the buyer must pay and by when.
  • company policyAn official rule or set of rules that guides how employees should act in particular situations at work.

More terms: Negotiations

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