Phrase origination

[documanx]

Where does "on the QT" originate from and what does it mean?

[FionaS]

I've always understood this to be merely an abbreviation for "quiet"

[mikewith]

There's more on the phrase now at: http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Article.go?id=3374

[documanx]

Thank you for your replies. They were both insightful and extremely informative. I knew that it had something to do with "quiet", but I didn't know that it had such a rich heritage.