[uhn-der-th
uh-koun-ter] 
| 1. | (of merchandise) sold clandestinely. |
| 2. | illegal; unauthorized: under-the-counter payments. |
[koun-ter] | 1. | a table or display case on which goods can be shown, business transacted, etc. |
| 2. | (in restaurants, luncheonettes, etc.) a long, narrow table with stools or chairs along one side for the patrons, behind which refreshments or meals are prepared and served. |
| 3. | a surface for the preparation of food in a kitchen, esp. on a low cabinet. |
| 4. | anything used in keeping account, as a disk of metal or wood, used in some games, as checkers, for marking a player's position or for keeping score. |
| 5. | an imitation coin or token. |
| 6. | a coin; money. |
| 7. | over the counter,
|
| 8. | under the counter, in a clandestine manner, esp. illegally: books sold under the counter. |
| count·er 2 (koun'tər) n.
[Middle English countour, from Anglo-Norman counteour, from Medieval Latin computātōrium, countinghouse, from Latin computāre, to calculate; see count1.] |
counter count·er (koun'tər)
n.
One that counts, especially an electronic or mechanical device that automatically counts occurrences or repetitions of phenomena or events.
under the counter
Secretly, surreptitiously, as in I'm sure they're selling liquor to minors under the counter. This expression most often alludes to an illegal transaction, the counter being the flat-surfaced furnishing or table over which legal business is conducted. It was first recorded in 1926. Also see under the table.