down-low
noun (in phrase on the down-low) US informal
1On the quiet; in secret: he kept his status as a Hell’s Angel on the down-low...
- Occasionally, he punctuates the flow with the more upbeat rhythms of tracks like ‘Inside’ or ‘Brotha Man,’ but mainly he keeps everything on the down-low, using an interesting mix of pop-rock and R&B.
- The note-passing had to be kept on the down-low as not to alert the plentiful U.S. Border Patrol, who are ordered every February 14 to dissuade the passing of notes and gifts due to suspicions of drug trafficking.
- A piece of news had reached the apex of its life, and I felt somewhat responsible for seeing it through from a tip on the down-low, to an op-ed piece above the fold.
1.1(Of a man) concealing his homosexual tendencies.Black men on the down-low differ from white gays and other black homosexuals who are in the closet by not just hiding their sexual orientation, but also denying it....
- Or perhaps they are, secretly, on the down-low.
Origin
1990s: originally in African-American usage.