Question
When something is done in secret or on the sly, it is said to be done “on the Q.T.” Where did this originate, and what does Q.T. mean?
Answer
It’s simply an abbreviation of the word quiet. In the late 1800s, quiet came to mean “clandestine,” or “secretive” (e.g., “I’d like to have a word with you on the quiet.”). Sometime later, it was reduced to the slang “Q.T.”
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