off-the-record
UK[ˌɒf ðə ˈrek.ɔːd]US[ˌɔːf ðə ˈrek.ɚd]
adj
not intended to be officially recorded or made public; said or done in confidence.
adv
in a way that is not officially recorded or made public.
Etymology
the phrase "off the record" is a 20th-century american journalistic idiom. its logic is metaphorical, drawing from the practice of keeping formal minutes or transcripts ("the record") of official proceedings. "off" indicates exclusion from this formal account, implying informality and confidentiality. the phrase has since expanded from its journalistic origins into general use for any unofficial, non-attributable communication, solidifying its role as a compound adjective and adverb.
Analysis
this is a fixed compound phrase. it cannot be meaningfully segmented into individual morphemes without losing its idiomatic sense. it functions as a single lexical unit.
Examples
the senator made some off-the-record comments about the upcoming policy change.
the journalist agreed to speak off-the-record to provide background context.
our conversation was strictly off-the-record, so i cannot quote him directly.