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fly on the wall
/flˈaɪ ɑːnðə wˈɔːl/
phrase
someone who watches or listens to everything that is happening without anyone noticing their presence
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to pull the strings
/pˈʊl ðə stɹˈɪŋz/
phrase
to have control over a person or thing, often in way that is not obvious
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under the radar
/ˌʌndɚ ðə ɹˈeɪdɑːɹ/
phrase
in a way that goes unnoticed or avoids attracting any attention
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behind closed doors
/bɪhˌaɪnd klˈoʊzd dˈoːɹz/
phrase
in a place where other people cannot see or know about
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behind the scenes
/bɪhˌaɪnd ðə sˈiːnz/
phrase
in a secretive way so that the general public is unaware of what is happening
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black book
/blˈæk bˈʊk/
noun
a list with contact information of people whom one secretly communicates with
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in cahoots
/ɪn kɐhˈuːts/
phrase
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
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to have designs on
sth
/hæv dɪzˈaɪnz ˌɑːn ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ/
phrase
to secretly or dishonestly intend to achieve wealth, power, etc.
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to laugh up
one's
sleeve
/lˈæf ˌʌp wˈʌnz slˈiːv/
phrase
to secretly take pleasure in something or find it amusing, particularly someone else's problems and misfortunes
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like a thief in the night
/lˈaɪk ɐ θˈiːf ɪnðə nˈaɪt/
phrase
used to refer to something that happens unexpectedly and without warning or detection
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to groan inwardly
/ɡɹˈoʊn ˈɪnwɚdli/
phrase
to remain silent instead of expressing one's disapproval or distress
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in league with
sb/sth
/ɪn lˈiːɡ wɪð ˌɛsbˈiː slˈæʃ ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ/
phrase
secretly making plans with another individual or group
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on the q.t.
/ɑːnðə kjˌuːtˈiː/
phrase
used to refer to something that is done in a quiet or discreet manner
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on the sly
/ɑːnðə slˈaɪ/
phrase
in a manner that is inclined to conceal a person's actual feelings and intentions
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through the back door
/θɹuː ðə bˈæk dˈoːɹ/
phrase
in a manner that is done secretly or subtly, often to achieve a desired result without drawing much attention
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