down low

plural down lows · alternative down-low · alternative downlow

1. countableuncountableA state of secrecy.

   I'll tell you, but keep it on the down low.

2. countableuncountablelifestyleThe state of being a man who secretly sleeps with people other than his partner.

   [Chorus]:And keep it on the down low Nobody has to know.

   1995 December 11, “Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)”performed by R. Kelly

3. countableuncountableAfrican-American VernacularlifestyleThe state of being a man who secretly sleeps with other men.

   I sleep with men, but I am not bisexual, and I am certainly not gay. I am not going to your clinics, I am not going to read your brochures, I am not going to get tested. I assure you that none of the brothers on the down low like me are paying the least bit of attention to anything you have to say.

   2001 April 3, Linda Villarosa, “AIDS Education Is Aimed 'Down Low'”, in The New York times, page 5

4. countableuncountableAfrican-American VernacularlifestyleA man who secretly sleeps with other men.

   I think it must be hard for trans men who like guys. Most gay guys don't like vaginas. […] The guys I'm interested in are down-lows, DLs.

   2014, Susan Kuklin, Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, Humen: Candlewick Press, published 2015, →ISBN, →LCCN, Mariah: The Real Deal, page 90

comparative more down low · superlative most down low · alternative down-low · alternative downlow

1. Undercover or lying about one's identity.
2. African-American VernacularPurporting to be heterosexual while engaged in sex with men.