Secrecy: English Vocabulary List

someone who watches or listens to everything that is happening without anyone noticing their presence

"I wish I was a fly on the wall."

"I would love to be a fly on the wall during the meeting between the two famous actors who hate each other."

to have control over a person or thing, often in way that is not obvious

"She likes to pull the strings."

"The wealthy businessman was secretly pulling the strings behind every major decision in the government."

in a way that goes unnoticed or avoids attracting any attention

"He tries to stay under the radar."

"The small band stayed under the radar for years before suddenly becoming famous all over the world."

in a place where other people cannot see or know about

"The meeting happened behind closed doors."

"The committee made the controversial decision behind closed doors without any public discussion or input from the community."

in a secretive way so that the general public is unaware of what is happening

"The volunteers work behind the scenes."

"The volunteers worked behind the scenes to organise the charity event while the celebrities took all the credit for it."

a list with contact information of people whom one secretly communicates with

"The spy had a little black book."

"The spy had a little black book containing the names of all his contacts and agents."

used to refer to a situation where two or more people, organizations, etc. are secretly collaborating with each other to do something dishonest or illegal

"The two thieves are in cahoots."

"The security guard was in cahoots with the thieves and let them into the building to steal the valuable paintings."

to secretly or dishonestly intend to achieve wealth, power, etc.

"He has designs on my fortune."

"The greedy businessman has designs on the small family farm and has been trying to buy it for a very low price."

to secretly take pleasure in something or find it amusing, particularly someone else's problems and misfortunes

"She was laughing up her sleeve."

"The salesman laughed up his sleeve when the customer paid twice the actual value for the cheap watch."

used to refer to something that happens unexpectedly and without warning or detection

"He left like a thief in the night."

"The disease took her life like a thief in the night without giving her or her family any warning at all."

to remain silent instead of expressing one's disapproval or distress

"I had to groan inwardly."

"When my boss announced another weekend shift, I had to groan inwardly because I had already made important plans."

secretly making plans with another individual or group

"He is in league with the devil."

"The corrupt official was in league with the construction companies and accepted bribes to approve their unsafe buildings."

used to refer to something that is done in a quiet or discreet manner

"Keep this on the q.t."

"The two managers met on the q.t. to discuss the merger without telling any of the employees about their plans."

in a manner that is inclined to conceal a person's actual feelings and intentions

"He eats snacks on the sly."

"The teenager had been smoking cigarettes on the sly for months before his parents finally found out about it."

in a manner that is done secretly or subtly, often to achieve a desired result without drawing much attention

"He got the job through the back door."

"The new manager got the job through the back door because his uncle is the owner of the company."

a coded message intended to be understood by a particular group while remaining unnoticed or ambiguous to others

"The politician used a dog whistle phrase to appeal to some voters."

"His speech contained a dog whistle that only certain groups could understand."