agenda

(a) hidden agenda

Fig. a secret plan; a concealed plan; a plan disguised as a plan with another purpose. I am sure that the chairman has a hidden agenda. I never did trust him anyway.

See also: hidden

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a hidden agenda

a reason for doing something that you are hiding by pretending that you have a different reason He stressed that the review was to identify staffing needs and there was no hidden agenda to cut jobs.

See also: hidden

at the top of the/somebody's agenda  also high on the/somebody's agenda

if a subject or plan is at the top of someone's agenda, it is the most important thing they want to discuss or deal with The government has put education at the top of its agenda. When the schoolteachers meet, classroom violence will be high on the agenda. (= one of the most important subjects to discuss)

See also: top

on the/somebody's agenda

if a subject, plan, or activity is on the agenda, people are willing to talk about it, or to try to make it happen He made it clear that strike action was not on the agenda

See a hidden agenda, set the agenda

set the agenda

to decide what subjects other people should discuss and deal with, often in a way which shows that you have more authority than them Opposition parties have managed to set the agenda during this election by emphasizing the public's fear of crime.

See also: set