Work in the black or on the black?
Why do people take the risk to work in the black or on the black?
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I'm unaware of anyone who says 'work in the black' or 'work on the black'.
I think the set phrase in Spanish means to work illegally (or at a job that isn't official), but it could be something else. If the 'illegal' component isn't inferred, we say: take a job on the side burn the midnight oil work for pocket change have a second/night job moonlight supplement one's income (on the side, on the down low) |
I swear I heard sb using that expression. And yes it means to work illegally.
Working on the side rings a bell too. |
I don't know if it's a British expression and, if it is, how it's used.
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If it doesn't have the 'illegal' component, those are the phrases we use to describe working more than the norm. If the Spanish phrase means 'illegally working', we pretty much just say that (in AmE).
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I think the common term is to work off the books.
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'To work off the books' is self-employment, as I understand it, and can be illegal if taxes aren't withheld.
'To work off the clock' is time spent working for someone who doesn't pay you for that work. That's a crime (illegal). |
If you're off the books (pagado en negro, that means you're being paid (under the table solapado) with no record, and nothing is reported. It's a common practice, and it's not legal. You'll see I right if you google the term.
The term paid and in the black means paid up and not owing anything. In the red means owing money. |
We're saying the same thing. Getting paid under the table or off the books is illegal (because the government wants their cut, but there's no trail). A person who is working off the books could decide to pay taxes, and would have to file as self-employed to do so (and not divulge the source of the under-the-table money).
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