The Collaborative International Dictionary
Counter \Coun"ter\, n. [OE. countour, OF. contouer, comptouer, F. comptoir, LL. computatorium, prop., a computing place, place of accounts, fr. L. computare. See Count, v. t.] A table or board on which money is counted and over which business is transacted; a long, narrow table or bench, on which goods are laid for examination by purchasers, or on which they are weighed or measured.
Over the counter (a) (Stock Exchanges), in an office; -- said of business so done, as distinguished from that done at an exchange. (a) without a prescription; needing no prescription; -- said of medicines that can be legally bought without a physician's prescription.
Wiktionary
adv. 1 (context finance English) Through direct trade; outside a standard stock exchange. 2 (context pharmacy English) (able to be obtained) without a doctor's prescription. 3 (context figuratively English) legitimately (as opposed to under the counter). alt. 1 (context finance English) Through direct trade; outside a standard stock exchange. 2 (context pharmacy English) (able to be obtained) without a doctor's prescription. 3 (context figuratively English) legitimately (as opposed to under the counter).
Wikipedia
Over the Counter is the debut demo album and is the officially unreleased but heavily bootlegged debut studio album by rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. Guest appearances include Tha Dogg Pound, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Warren G, George Clinton and others. The album was released only on cassette version.
Usage examples of "over the counter".
Lines of toothpaste and shoelaces, ranks of sunglasses and ballpoint pens guaranteed right on them to write a lifetime on butter under water, all guarded against shoplifters by a big-eyed force of Teddy bears sitting high on a shelf over the counter.
Maria was fastening some paper streamers and clown's masks with potato noses to the brass bar over the counter, where the sausage and bacon were hung.
I scraped a few more cuploads out of the bottom -- hearing Bloor's angry cursing somewhere above and behind me -- then I jumped over the counter and into the front seat of the jeep.
With a firm, steady-eyed impudence, which seemed to hold back the threat of some abominable menace, he would proceed to sell over the counter some object looking obviously and scandalously not worth the money which passed in the transaction: a small cardboard box with apparently nothing inside, for instance, or one of those carefully closed yellow flimsy envelopes, or a soiled volume in paper covers with a promising title.
Get him out of here, screamed Neville, climbing over the counter, I wont have a stiff in my bar.
It embarrassed him to face his customers over the counter and hear them say: “.
As the door slid shut, he heard a terrific crash - English Johnny had been flung over the counter to come cascading down amid a chorus of falling plates.