The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 3 plus 6 letter word OFF THE RECORD
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
O
F
F
T
H
E
R
E
C
O
R
D
More clues leading to the result OFF THE RECORD
- No longer in the groove musically and not to be talked about
- Missing from CD, not intended for disclosure?
- Taken from album not intended for release?
- Fantastic offer Hector ultimately declined is not to be made public
- Side getting expression of sympathy with bind not publicly aired
- Present line of newspaper previews not for publication
- Private place for stylus when disc’s finished
- Between you and me where many B-sides should have been left?
- Unofficially it’s where the song that went on too long ended
- Secret needle like this has been lifted
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Secret" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case secret = off the record.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does OFF THE RECORD mean?
OFF THE RECORD adjective- Unofficial
- Secret
- Unofficially
- Secretly, in secret