Under the Table

Under the Table

Under the talbe is a colloquial expression meaning “drunk to the point of insensibility”. It is often used in phrases such as “I could drink you under the table”, meaning “I could outdrink you”. Why? Let’s consider a situation where you sit in a chair and drink alcohol. If you get drunk to the point of unconsciousness, you might slip under the table.

This idiom also means “in a clandestine or illicit way”. In this sense, “under the counter” can be used almost interchangeably. This is very intuitive, because when you hand someone money in a clandestine way, you will probably do it under the table. (really?)

The adverb “underhanded” or “underhand” has the same meaning. I think this is probably because the motion of throwing a ball underhand is similar the motion of handing money under the table.