Underwraps

Part of speech: adverb, noun

Definitions

1. Kept secret or concealed from public knowledge; actions or plans deliberately hidden or not disclosed to maintain surprise or confidentiality; information or intentions that remain undisclosed to prevent others from knowing prematurely
2. Maintained in secrecy or withheld from general awareness; strategies or developments intentionally kept out of public view to preserve confidentiality or anticipation; details or activities that are covert and not openly shared
3. Preserved from exposure to avoid public detection; undertakings or designs purposely kept quiet to safeguard confidential information or to avoid early revelation; matters or processes kept behind closed doors without open acknowledgment

Etymology: "Under wraps" is an idiom meaning in strict secrecy, as in "the new design is still under wraps." The phrase is built from "under," meaning beneath or in a covered state, and "wrap," meaning to enclose something in a covering. Something kept under wraps is literally kept covered up, hidden from view until it is ready to be revealed. The source shows "underwraps" as the plural of "underwrap," a noun formed from "under-" and "wrap." Written as a single word, it is simply the closed-up form of that phrase, and the same covering sense carries over: the thing hidden is wrapped beneath something else.

Synonyms: secretly, covertly, stealthily, clandestinely, surreptitiously

Antonyms: openly, publicly, overtly, transparently, plainly