off the record

Fig. unofficial; informal. (Of comments to the press that one does not want reported.) This is off the record, but I disagree with the mayor on this matter. Although her comments were off the record, the newspaper published them anyway.

not intended to be known publicly or recorded officially She claims the newspaper published comments about the incident that were supposed to be off the record.

if you say something off the record, you do not want it to be publicly reported She made it clear that her comments were strictly off the record and should not be included in the article.

Unofficially, in confidence, not for publication, as in What he was about to say, he told the reporters, was strictly off the record. Probably alluding to striking evidence from a court record (because it is irrelevant or improper), this term came into wide use in the mid-1900s, especially with reference to persons who did not wish to be quoted by journalists. For antonyms, see go on record; just for the record.

Not for publication: The senator told the reporters that his remarks were strictly off the record.