off the record

O

off the record

Meaning

• an informal or unofficial statement
• comments or statements made in confidence and not to be published or recorded
• a statement not to be attributed to the one who made it
• not to be known publicly

Example Sentences

1. I will give you the information regarding what really happened, but strictly off the record.
2. He candidates comments were meant to be off the record, but the press reported it and it created a huge controversy.
3. The actress’s off the record comments about her co star’s appearance were leaked to the media causing much embarrassment to both of them.
4. She made it clear that her statement was off the record and could not be published anywhere or attributed to her.
5. Off the record, he let me on to the secret strategy that his company was using to hook customers to their products.
6. The conversation between the security advisers of the two agencies was completely secret and off the record, and it was to be reported that they never met.
7. After the interview, the sportsman gave the reporters some off the record snippets of what went on in the locker room.
8. “This is off the record right now, but we might announce a large bonus this year,” the manager said, much to the cheer of his employees.

Origin

The phrase originated around the 1930s.

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