Episode 286: Under the Table

This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase under the table. The secret or clandestine one, not the drinking to excess one. Bonus: Book bans, French Culinary School, and friendly, neighborhood food merchants fighting demonic forces in Poland

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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
Episode 286: Under the Table
Record Date: June 29, 2025
Air Date: July 23, 2025

Intro

Shauna:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase. 

I’m Shauna Harrison

Dan:
And I’m Dan Pugh

Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today.

Opening Hook
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where things didn’t quite follow the rules but no one seemed to mind? Maybe it was a cash job with no paperwork, a quiet favor exchanged without a word, or a deal that was sealed with a nod instead of a contract. It wasn’t illegal, exactly... but it wasn’t exactly out in the open, either. It’s the hidden economy, the whispered arrangement, the quiet corner of life where discretion takes the lead - and today, we’re pulling back the curtain on the phrase, “under the table”.


Meaning
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, to do something under the table, or under the counter, means something was done:

Quote
In a clandestine or underhand way; secretly; illicitly
End Quote
Under the table: https://www.oed.com/dictionary/table_n?tab=meaning_and_use#19424300 
Under the Counter: https://www.oed.com/dictionary/counter_n3?tab=meaning_and_use#8067397 

A quick note, there is another, older phrase “to drink someone under the table” which is when someone drinks alcohol to the point of insensibility and is sometimes used to denote some sort of drinking contest, which we at Bunny Trails do not recommend. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “to drink under the table or drink someone under the table” has been in use since at least the early 1600s. But we are not going to be talking about using alcohol to extreme effects in this episode, we are sticking with the secret, illicit, or clandestine usage that does NOT have to do with ingesting booze. 
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/table_n?tab=meaning_and_use&tl=true#130139114

1902
Here’s an example from an opinion piece - a response to the editor - in The Montrose Standard and Angus and Mearns Register out of Angus, Scotland. This was published in the February 21, 1902 edition, but the letter was written the day before. The phrase is used twice in the work and it is clear from the entirety of the letter that “under the table” is being used to mean secretive and kept from the public. Here is the first usage:

Quote
Sir, - The remarks of “Business” in your last issue on Bailie Boyek’s suggestion that a certain communication should be put under the table to the effect that communications which offer no privilege except that of spending the rates on useless deputations should be treated in this way, are evidently written in ignorance that such communications … are not necessarily made public.
End Quote
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002751/19020221/044/0004 

He goes on to note if Bailie is taking trips to Edinburgh for the Committee of the Convention of Burghs on his own dime, then Bailie has a right to keep his communications private, but if public dollars are being used, the public has a right to know the discussions taking place.


1908
Up next is a passage in The Leader out of Melbourne, Australia dated August 1, 1908. In it, the author is speaking of deceptive practices of a medium, or one who claims to speak with the dead. He doesn’t use the phrase in a figurative way in the article, but the connection to the literal usage and the figurative meaning is unmistakable. 

Quote
The evidence of the average and honest intelligent observer…is certainly of little weight. 
The slate writing business is usually done in the light, but as it is done under the table that does not help the observer much!
End Quote
https://newspaperarchive.com/orange-orange-leader-aug-01-1908-p-25/ 

The connection to the phrase is strong. While it does not give evidence to the phrase’s use, it does give a clear understanding of why the phrase could be taken to mean secretive or illicit. Something done under the table is being done out of sight of any observers. And why go out of your way to do it under the table unless you want it to be secret. In fact, the article even says as much a little later.

Quote
But why under the table? Why do spirits write under and not on the table?
End Quote
https://newspaperarchive.com/orange-orange-leader-aug-01-1908-p-25/ 

It goes on to reveal the sham by noting the substance that is claimed to be chalk is actually mixed with iron filings so it will be magnetic and the fake medium is simply writing in reversed characters under the table to deceive the observers. 

1917
This is from an advert Evening times-Republican out of Iowa, USA dated June 16, 1917. The advertisement is selling home lots in Benford Park Manor. 

Quote
Just Ten Days
One price to all
No fluctuations in prices because the demand is great for our lots. NOTHING UNDER THE TABLE - ALL ABOVE BOARD - Same prices and terms quoted to all
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85049554/1917-06-16/ed-1/seq-7/#date1=1756&sort=relevance&date2=1963&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=9&words=TABLE+UNDER&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=%22under+the+table%22&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=3

This is a great example because it uses two opposite phrases. First, nothing under the table, meaning nothing being done in secret. And second, above board, meaning without concealment or subterfuge.
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/above-board_adv?tab=meaning_and_use#6651953 
And to highlight the point, the statement NOTHING UNDER THE TABLE - ALL ABOVE BOARD is in all caps, unlike the rest of the ad. And the phrase Above Board, which we may do in a future episode, has been in use since the mid to late 1500s with a meaning of being open, free, and candid.

And the usage of this phrase in the advertisement indicates the potential buyers would understand the term. So while this appears to be early evidence, the mere usage of it in an advertisement would indicate it was more widespread in the common language than we might previously have believed.  

1926
Here’s another example, this time with the ‘under the counter’ version by Aldous Huxley in his 1926 work, Jesting Pilate: The Diary of a Journey. He is talking about the censorship of books due to the imposition of some people’s beliefs on others. 

Quote
In Philadelphia the respectable booksellers do not stock Mr. Cabell’s Jurgen. In Boston the Wrath and Ward Society suppresses the American Mercury, and in the same city one at least of my own novels has to be sold under the counter as though it were whiskey.
End Quote
https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.553332/page/283/mode/2up 

1938
Back across the pond this time to London, England and the Daily Express dated September 2, 1938. This is from an article titled Under the Table. Here is the opening paragraph.

Quote
Do you really think that is all the money a footballer can get?
The Greek mythologists gave us the expression “Under the Rose.” Football gives us the expression “Under the Table.” I know hundreds of footballers. I know few who have not, at one time or another, taken something under the table - in other words, without official cognizance being taken of it.
Everybody knows it is going on all the time, and has been going on for years.
End Quote
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004848/19380902/257/0017

He goes on to give examples of a player being transferred who doesn’t want to be transferred, so they get a secret payment to not publicly throw a fit about it. Or staff being given an unofficial severance package to keep them quiet when being fired, or sacked for the Brits. 

Also, I should say I don’t see any evidence of football - or soccer for the Americans - being the origin of the phrase, but it is possible the author was simply engaging in hyperbole here regarding this being the origin. But he also mentions under the rose, which is an interesting phrase. You may be familiar with the latin predecessor, sub rosa. We’ll look more into this phrase in our behind the scenes video, which airs every Friday on our Patron. That’s patreon.com/bunnytrailspod.

1944
Here is one from the Evening Star out of Washington, DC, USA, though it is referencing shopping in England during World War II. This is dated January 9, 1944 and the title of the article is Under-Counter Sales Make Shopping an Art in Wartime England. It is by Judy Barden and comes to the Star from London. Here is the opening paragraph:

Quote
The postwar period will bring one certain relief to the harassed British housewife, the end of under-the-counter shopping - a present-day form of getting liver, kidneys, cosmetics, hairpins, matches, razor blades, and a host of other unrationed and hard to get articles. Unless you are friendly with the store clerk, they remain under the counter.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1944-01-09/ed-1/seq-63/#date1=1756&sort=relevance&date2=1963&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=10&words=Counter+counter+under+Under+Under-Counter+under-the-counter&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=under+the+counter&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2 

Since the articles are not rationed, it isn’t so much that they are illicit, as in unlawful or not permitted, as much as they are clandestine, or done in secret. 

1945
Under the Counter is a musical comedy written by Arthur Macrae and Harold Purcell which premiered September 10, 1945 at the Grand Theatre in Leeds, England and made its way to Broadway in the USA in 1947. It ran in London’s West End for 665 performances. The plot focused on wartime rationing and the black market that was created around the shortages. 
https://playbill.com/production/under-the-counter-shubert-theatre-vault-0000010521 
https://www.broadwayworld.com/shows/Under-the-Counter-7672.html#history 
https://www.broadwayworld.com/shows/Under-the-Counter-321006.html
https://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_u/underthecounter.htm 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_the_Counter_%28musical%29 


1960
Here is one from the Louth Standard out of Lincolnshire, England. It is dated September 30, 1960. It is from a short report titled “Under the Table” and seemed to indicate there was something odd about the phrase being used in an official legal case. Here is the first part of the brief exchange. 

Quote
Cross-examined, P.c. Turner said that if Graces brought any cigarettes to Back they were given “under the table.” 
Questioned further about the cigarettes which Bach maintained he had bought, P.c. Turner replied: “There were no cigarettes passed over in view’”
End Quote
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004225/19600930/169/0013 


With that, it’s time to move to our more modern uses but first we need to say thank you to our sponsors. 

A Quick Thank You
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Modern Uses


2009
This one is a memoir that captures the secret side of something. Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School by Katherine Darling. Here is the synopsis from the publisher.

Quote
A deliciously entertaining memoir about one woman's adventures in the student kitchens of the legendary French Culinary Institute -- flavored with celebrity chefs, eccentric characters, and mouthwatering recipes

To anyone who has ever dreamed of life in a French kitchen, imagining days filled with puff pastry and sips of vintage wine, Katherine Darling serves up a savory dose of reality in this funny, fascinating, and altogether delightful account of her time spent slaving over a hot stove, wrestling with veal calves, and cleaning fish heads at the French Culinary Institute in downtown New York City.

As she goes from clueless amateur to certified chef, Katherine and her quirky fellow students learn the secrets behind the art of French cooking and frequently find themselves the objects of scorn and ridicule as their teachers wage psychological warfare over steaming pots of bisque. The kitchen, they soon discover, is no place for soft-hearted romantics. It's a cutthroat world, and no one ever made a soufflé without breaking a few eggs -- or cracking a few heads together. From the basics to the final exam, Darling reveals everything that goes into the making of a chef.

Filled with delicious food lore and trivia, and including dozens of classic and original French recipes, Under the Table takes readers deep into the trenches of one of the world's most prestigious cooking schools -- and shows what really goes on behind the doors of every great restaurant kitchen.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Under_the_Table/RdPikx3lzUsC?hl=en&gbpv=0

2012
This next one is blatantly about illicit items. Bribery and Corruption Casebook: The View from Under the Table is edited by Joseph T. Wells and Laura Hymes. Here is the synopsis from the publisher:

Quote
Real case studies on bribery and corruption written by expert fraud examiners

Bribery and Corruption Casebook: The View from Under the Table is a one-of-a-kind collection of actual cases written by the fraud examiners who investigated them. These stories were hand-selected from hundreds of submissions and together form a comprehensive, enlightening and entertaining picture of the many types of bribery and corruption cases in varied industries throughout the world.
Each case outlines how the bribe or corruption was engineered, how it was investigated, and how perpetrators were brought to justice Written for fraud investigators, auditors, compliance officers, and corporate lawyers Reflects the recent crackdown on bribery and prosecution of cases under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)...

This book reveals the dangers of bribery and corruption and the measures that can be taken to prevent it from happening in the first place.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Bribery_and_Corruption_Casebook/Qk0dIFC_CNMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=under+the+table&printsec=frontcover

2015
Under the Table is a short film directed by Rory Gibson. This one sees the secret and sometimes illicit things in life and brings them out from under the metaphorical table to above the literal table. Here is the synopsis from the posting on youtube.

Quote
After the death of their father, an estranged family take their seats around the dining table to await the return of their lawyer to read the will. Stunted conversation soon turns pointed as the bitterness and resentments that forced them apart in the first place resurface. As the argument becomes more and more vicious, secrets and indiscretions come to light that threaten to ruin this family once and for all.

Under The Table is a darkly comedic look at lies we tell ourselves to get by, the perfect versions of ourselves we try to portray, and how there’s nothing like a trip home to the family to cut you back down to size.
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo0r0rkOoE4 

2020
Under the Table is a song by Fiona Apple released in 2020 off the album Fetch the Bolt Cutters. It definitely catches the concepts of deception in the lyrics. Here is the second verse and into the chorus:

Quote
I'd like to buy you a pair of pillow-soled hiking boots
To help you with your climb
Or rather, to help the bodies that you step over along your route
So they won't hurt like mine

Kick me under the table all you want
I won't shut up, I won't shut up
Kick me under the table all you want
I won't shut up, I won't shut up
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBUxinJhntk

2021
Here’s another one. This is an autobiographical work that involves secrets, deception, and illicit activity in the book The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin. Here is the synopsis from the publisher.

Quote
Drama, family secrets, and a KGB spy in his own kitchen! How will Yevgeny ever fulfill his parents’ dream that he become a national hero when he doesn’t even have his own room? He’s not a star athlete or a legendary ballet dancer. In the tiny apartment he shares with his Baryshnikov-obsessed mother, poetry-loving father, continually outraged grandmother, and safely talented brother, all Yevgeny has is his little pencil, the underside of a massive table, and the doodles that could change everything. With equal amounts charm and solemnity, award-winning author and artist Eugene Yelchin recounts in hilarious detail his childhood in Cold War Russia as a young boy desperate to understand his place in his family.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Genius_Under_the_Table/6UI0EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=under+the+table&printsec=frontcover 

2024
Under the Table is a song by THEO featuring Lebo. It was released in 2024. Here are lyrics to the first verse:

Quote
Be careful
Acting like we’re strangers, but under the table
It’s another story
Be careful
The damage that could happen if they noticed, if they noticed
And why can’t you let this be
I’m holding myself back
But I need you so desperately
And I know that you do need me
So why don’t we fight and just let them know
Let them know, 
that you’ve been on my mind
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn1WjQo-LkQ 

In this case, it is their love that is being kept a secret. Though I’m not sure the song really spells out why it needs to be kept a secret, but that’s part of the charm. Because the listener can apply the lyrics to their own situation much easier. The song is a great R&B style love song. I think Thomas Atkinson captures it brilliantly in his IndustryMe article:

Quote
THEO and Lebo are two artists you need to know, and you should start with their new collab, ‘Under The Table‘. This duo fit together so well, with their voices flowing nicely from one to the other. The instrumental as well is top-notch, a relaxing experience emphasised by its use of bass guitar. The fact both artists produced the track together, just highlights their musical capabilities.
End Quote
https://industryme.co.uk/theo-and-lebo-are-a-great-musical-match-on-under-the-table/ 

Future
I’m not sure we’ve ever done a future usage of our phrase, but I suppose there is a first time for everything. Under the Counter is a game that will be coming to Steam, developed and published by Korba Games. Here is their synopsis:

Quote
Under the Counter is a narrative simulation in which you run a bar on a local market. Your task is to solve the mystery of missing people while serving food and moonshine to local fellows and demonic forces from a parallel world. 
End Quote
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1535630/Under_the_Counter/ 

There is a trailer in the link on the Steam page for the game. In this case, it seems the title comes from the under the counter elements of the business - moonshine - in an otherwise outwardly facing food stand selling soup and stew. It also hints at monsters, missing people, and a secret, dangerous underworld. The game is simply listed as “Coming Soon” on Steam as of the time of this recording. 

In an article on the announcement of the game by website Into Indie Games, they note:

Quote
The game loosely refers to the events of 1940 occupied Warsaw, drawing its main inspiration from the figure of Wicuś the Sailor, an ex-sailor who arrived in Warsaw in the first months of World War II and started a food stall at the Różycki Bazaar. We know from our sources that he was liked and visited also by the soldiers who occupied the city.
End Quote
https://intoindiegames.com/reviews/previews/under-the-counter-trailer-premiere/

So definitely an interesting take on a game.

Wrap Up
I must say, I really like the phrase “under the table”. It paints a clear picture of something being slipped beneath a table, out of sight from others. It can be used in a variety of contexts, from a side hustle to illicit goods. But it doesn’t always tell us why something is hidden, which exposes the dangers of doing things under the table. And the phrase itself comes with a connotation of something that is against the rules. 
But for some, that’s why the phrase makes so much sense. 
And part of the reason why I like it so much.

Dan:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included, 
reach out to us on Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod or comment on our website bunnytrailspod.com

Shauna:
It’s poll time!

Recently we asked our patrons, If you could be a tree, what would you be?

Conifers beat deciduous trees 57% to 43%. 

Mary said
Quote
There is nothing that makes me feel more refreshed than to get home, shed the work clothes, and put on my comfy home clothes. I think as a tree I would love the chance to shake off the old leaves, bud out, and put on fresh green leaves. Flowers and fruit for my bees and humans would be the icing on the cake. 
End Quote

JGP added
Quote
Conifer for me,  maybe a little prickly but offering a nice protective spot year round
End Quote

Dan:
Allan said
Quote
Deciduous for me. I'd offer shade in the summer, and kids could climb in my branches and play in my leaves in the fall. 
End Quote

While Jan shared
Quote
Pine fresh scent for me! 
End Quote

I think I am a deciduous tree. During the Spring I'm coming out of the funk and I get really excited. During the summer I'm loving life and enjoy lots of water things. During the fall I'm still having fun, but I know winter is coming. Then in winter I just try to not die. I get all bummed about everything and I'm not a pretty sight. But then spring happens again and I turn back into something cool and happy. So I’d love to be a conifer. Something steady and pleasing, all year long.

Shauna:

As a reminder, our silly polls mean absolutely nothing and are not scientifically valid. And patrons of all levels, including our free tiers, can take part. Head over to patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to take this week’s poll!

Outro 

Shauna:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember, 

Together:
Words belong to their users.