Question

Q.T. (also QT and q.t.) quietly; secretly; without anyone knowing

Accepted Answer

She doesn't know about the surprise party, so keep it on the Q.T. Sometimes we abbreviate words by using their first and last letters. For example, the standard post office abbreviation for Maryland is MD, and for Kentucky, it's KY. In 1870 there was a popular ballad called "The Talkative Man from Poplar." In one of the lines the word "quiet" was shortened to "q.t." Some people think this abbreviation could have been used in earlier writings, but after 1870 "on the q.t." became a common phrase for "keep it quiet."

Idiom	Q.T. (also QT and q.t.)
Example	She doesn't know about the surprise party, so keep it on the Q.T.
Meaning	quietly; secretly; without anyone knowing
Origin	Sometimes we abbreviate words by using their first and last letters. For example, the standard post office abbreviation for Maryland is MD, and for Kentucky, it's KY. In 1870 there was a popular ballad called "The Talkative Man from Poplar." In one of the lines the word "quiet" was shortened to "q.t." Some people think this abbreviation could have been used in earlier writings, but after 1870 "on the q.t." became a common phrase for "keep it quiet."

Q.T Abbreviation Qt Surprise Party Quietly Secretly Knowing