on the down-low
The phrase "on the down-low" originates from African-American Vernacular English and has been adopted more broadly to imply secrecy and discretion.
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Definition
B2General
(informal)Keeping something secret or confidential.
Example
- I'll tell you, but keep it on the down-low.
B2Relationships
(informal, euphemistic)Secretly engaging in a romantic or sexual relationship outside of one's primary partnership.
Example
- He's been seeing someone else on the down-low.
C1LGBT
(informal, euphemistic)A man publicly identifying as heterosexual but secretly having relationships with other men.
Example
- He lives on the down-low, so his friends don't know about his relationships with men.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "on the down-low":
down lowlow keysub rosalay lowlow profileoff the recordin disguiseunder the coverssotto vocein the closetbehind closed doorskeep one's head downdown belowunder the tablekeep downon the levelsneak aroundopen secret