155

Down-low
Posted on December 23, 2024 by David M Willis

155 thoughts on “Down-low”

  1. NGPZ

    *plays “Filthy/Gorgeous by Scissor Sisters on hacked muzak*

  2. Ana Chronistic

    now imagining a Joyce confession

    Joyce: “I’ve touched Joe’s PENIS.”
    Joss: “Oh, is THAT what you think it was?”
    Joyce: o_O “psst Dorothy, what did I touch on Joe”

    1. mindbleach

      Dorothy: Sideshow Bob eeeughgueeugheugh.

      1. CianM1301

        Comments you can hear.

      2. Furie

        Just belly laughed at that so hard I literally trampolined my dog off me.

    2. Deanatay

      Joss: That’s his ‘taint’. As in, “Tha taint Joe’s penis”.

      1. Proxiehunter

        Taint his ass either.

        1. Ray

          SOMEbody’s been watching “Booty Call”

    3. Mark

      Dorothy: I wasn’t there, maybe you should ask Joe.

  3. Doctor_Who

    “And feel free to gently nibble it while you’re there.”

    1. DJTsurugi

      been trying so hard not to comment all over this page, because there is so much les coding going on in this page. ~<3

  4. Nono

    So how long before Joyce tells Jocelyne she’s touched Joe’s wiener?

    1. Thag Simmons

      I give her seven minutes

      1. Michael Steamweed

        So we will get to it by mid-January?

    2. Rose by Any other Name

      The real question is how long before Joyce discusses her washing machine adventure with Dorothy?

      1. Needfuldoer

        It will come tumbling out eventually.

        1. Michael Steamweed

          She’s positively vibrating to tell someone.

        2. Reltzik

          Not really.

          Her laundry experience with Dorothy, THAT’S what she’s positively vibrating to tell so- *vaudeville hook*

        3. Reltzik

          … and that’s what people were already talking about. I read the thread twice before posting that. What the hell, brain?

        4. Needfuldoer

          Don’t worry, it all comes out in the wash.

  5. Cholma

    I also would like Dorothy to whisper in my ear, because I only know “on the down low” to mean “keep this discrete/secret”.

    1. Yumi

      If it’s “keep this on the down-low” or such, that is what it means, but if it were like, “he’s on the down-low,” that would refer to a guy who identifies as straight and also has sex with other men.

      1. Rose by Any other Name

        OH. Well don’t I feel silly for posting several seconds after you did.

      2. StClair

        Huh. I had no idea.

      3. Opus the Poet

        That’s the definition I’ve known for almost 30 years, from the gay Afro-American community.

      4. Cholma

        Well, well. Looks like I am one of XKCD’s “10,000” today!

      5. Dawn

        I have also never heard this before and thought it meant what Joyce thought.

        1. Yumi

          Yeah, I’d be surprised if Dorothy knew the meaning Jocelyne is implying.

      6. SevenFerns

        It can also be used to refer to guys who date trans women but don’t want anyone to know they’re dating a trans woman. This is often incredibly dangerous for the trans woman.

        1. Yumi

          I tried to add a note that I was giving a simplified explanation in my comment, but I put it in tags that made it disappear. Anyway, thanks for adding on, and I know there are more aspects that others can expand on.

      7. Proto

        Damn kids these days and their hip new slang!… or hip new interpretations of pre-existing slang!… or versions of slang that have been around a real long time that I didn’t know about!

        1. Needfuldoer

          I used to be “with it”, then they changed what “it” was!

        2. Michael Steamweed

          Down low for closeted sex is the older, original slang. Down low for secretive arrangement is the newer, more recent slang.

        3. Sulsgoode

          The “secretive arrangement” version has been around for decades.

    2. Rose by Any other Name

      Yeah, same.
      Joyce used it oddly in the sentence, but her definition was, if anything, adding more sexual implication that the statement actually has.
      I assume Jocelyne is just teasing her here?

      1. Ol' Monster Face

        My reading was that Jocelyne thinks it’s not very “on the down-low” to post evidence of your underage drinking scam on a public social media feed accessible by your family members.

    3. Aubrey

      It is also AAVE slang for a black man who identifies as straight but seeks out gay sexual relationships, but the definition you (and Joyce) are referring to is perfectly valid and FAR FAR more common. “That’s not the ONLY thing ‘on the down low’ means” would make more sense as the line. As it’s currently written, the reader is apparently meant to assume that Joyce is wrong in her understanding of the phrase, which she is not.

      1. Armadillo

        You have failed to consider the possibility that Jocelyne is deliberately pretending Joyce’s use of the phrase is weird for the purpose of sibling harassment, as is her right as elder.

        1. Mr D phone posting

          Elder sibling rights, we get to protect and teach, but mostly tease.

        2. HueSatLight

          Maybe a combination of finding out how Joyce meant it (since Jocelyne did see the photos, and also met Ethan when Joyce was “dating” him), and a larger amount of teasing.

    4. Mark

      None of this is at variance with the general meaning “secretly”.

      1. Nymph

        The connotation is what’s different, not the exact definition.

    5. Mano308gts

      I would take it to be referring to the fact that her definition is correct, but the usage is wildly incorrect; in other words, the phrase does not get used in the way in which she is using it, regardless of having that meaning.

  6. Slartibeast Button, BIA

    [clueless_old_guy]
    What does “on the down-low” mean?

    1. Madock345

      Usually means you’re dating same-sex in secret. You put DL “down low” in your profile on gay dating sites to tell people to be discrete.

      1. Thag Simmons

        It does get used as a more general discretion thing, I’ve definitely seen it in non-sexual contexts

      2. ColdFury

        That would explain Becky’s face in the last panel.

      3. Jon

        “Usually” is relative. I wager most of the population wouldn’t blink at Joyce’s usage. That’s the standard. Its use in the gay community is more niche.

        Jocelyne is teasing/messing with Joyce.

      4. Bibbleforp

        To my knowledge:Madock is right. When referring to a person being “down low” or “on the down low” it pretty much always implies closeted homosexuality.

        I think the non-gay meaning only applies to general information or actions. Like “Hey, I’ll help you out but keep it on the down low.” When referring to a person it’s implicit the secret is that they’re gay.

    2. darkoneko

      [english as 3rd language]
      I was wondering, too

      1. PedanticJerkass

        [English as 1st language]
        I was wondering, too.

      2. Jeremiah

        [English 2nd language]
        I got it through the context of the conversation and the look Jocelyn give as having a double meaning related to being secretly gay.

    3. HueSatLight

      secretly but “actively” gay.

      1. HueSatLight

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/dee-ell/

        1. Michael Steamweed

          Awww, those two! So above-board, clearly communicating, cute, direct, honest, knowing themselves, and wholesome! 🙂

    4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      So “in the closet” is passe?

      1. Yumi

        There’s overlap, but it’s different.

      2. Michael Steamweed

        Possibly, for its sexual connotation, in the closet was mostly a white gay culture phrase, from the 60s onward. Down low became a mostly black gay culture phrase, from the 70s(ish) onward.

        But in the closet is much older than that, meaning just keeping anything secret. Couple centuries, at least, in British English, and copied by Americans. (like in political speech, gossip speech, forming unions, etc)

    5. Freezer

      It’s generally used to describe black men who engage in clandestine gay sex, but don’t consider themselves gay.

      Basically, if Aaron from Pixie Trix Comix was black…

      1. Michael Steamweed

        What?! Aaron’s not gay! He just likes to bro out with his bros! Away from the overwhelming presence of all those womens who always hang on him all the time. (poor fellow) What’s wrong with that? 😀

      2. Da Boy

        They must be remembering the times as Roman Legionaries, it ain’t gay if you are the one penetrating.

    6. Deanatay

      Only wrong answers, right?

      1. Deanatay

        “On the dee-ell” is slang for wearing a strap-on.

        1. Rose by Any other Name

          Fucking what?!
          As a lesbian who owns multiple strap-ons and makes frequent use of them, I have never in my live used “on the Dee ell” in reference to strapped sex nor ever heard any of my many sapphic friends do so either.
          Is this a regional thing? Like people calling all sodas “coke”?

        2. Yumi

          Consider that Deanatay is responding to their own “only wrong answers” comment.

        3. Deanatay

          Don’t forget, Joyce is a size six. 😉

        4. Rose by Any other Name

          Yeah, I didn’t really get why Deanatay posted that (only wrong answers) either. It sounded to me like they were saying that all the other commenters had given wrong answers, which seemed unlikely.

          Thank you, Yumi, for clarifying that it was intended to start a joke thread. That makes more sense.

        5. Opus the Poet

          Or a trans-man wearing a packer in public so as to present a bulge.

        6. Michael Steamweed

          Is a packer a cod piece?

        7. Nymph

          Kinda? It’s a prosthetic (the ones I’ve seen have been silicone) that is meant to give the appearance of having a bulge (like Opus said). There are also versions which allow you to urinate standing up (a cup and drain situation) or which can also be used during sex (colloquially called pack-and-play).

        8. Nymph

          Notably, unlike a codpiece (usually external piece of armor to my knowledge), packers hang out inside the underpants.

        9. Michael Steamweed

          Ahh. I am now less ignorant of these things than I was a minute ago. Thanks!

  7. Heavensrun

    Well, Joyce, the good news is that I’m pretty sure the more Dorothy gently whispers things in your ear, the more likely you are to end up actually on the down-low.

    1. Rose by Any other Name

      Some washing machines might consider her already there.

      1. gnomedeplume

        I’d say they were a bit more up high for that

    2. Michael Steamweed

      Joyce (weeks later): “Guys, I have an announcement. Dorothy and I have been doing the gay down low thing for each other. I’m sorry we’ve been keeping it a secret.”

      Everyone else: “Yeah, we’ve known for months now.”

      *cue Joyce face

  8. darkoneko

    At least someone’s enjoying their fries, but how about the rest of yous go fetch food (or re-fetch, in Dina’s case) and get seated already

  9. Icalasari

    Ok I’m with Joyce. I thought on the down-low meant keeping things low key and secretive

    1. JessWitt

      It can mean two things! But yes I thought the same as well.

      1. Aubrey

        It does mean that, in the vast majority of contexts. Even in the sexual context that people are describing here, it’s referring back to the original meaning of the phrase (being secretive/discreet).

        1. Aubrey

          Looked into it and the sexual meaning IS the original meaning. I’m a dingus. Can’t edit/remove my original comment so I’ll just leave this here!

        2. Adam Black

          Ive heard it both ways.

          But as a self ID , Closeted Gay/Bi man had blown up in the African American community by 2003

        3. Mongoose

          The phrase “the down low” is used to mean “something not commonly known” in a non-sexual context in the story “Willie Was His Name, Sir” by Sam Hellman published 1925 in the Saturday Evening Post. It does seem like it wasn’t a very common phrase (at least in writing) before the sexual context took over, though.

    2. Skewbrow

      Me too, but me being a furriner that is not surprising. I am a bit more worried about my browser (or google?) being able to suggest/autofill “on the down low meaning” as a buzzword when I was half way into typing it.

      1. Lexi

        Presumably, there was a lot of other people who read this particular webpage, then went to google that phrase. Cause um… I sure did.

        Honestly, I’m more concerned about discussing with my husband if my phone has induction charging, and then immediately having amazon pop up with the exact “occult style light up charging pad” I was saying I’d want. Cause that was entirely verbal and it definitely picked that up via the mic.

        1. Michael Steamweed

          You think that’s invasive? Just wait some years when we all have affordable neuralink smartphones in our brains, hooked up to the internet of things, all of it monitored by the tech giants. 😀

        2. Roborat

          Which is a thing explored in the Stray Cat Strut stories.

    3. Adam Black

      I think ‘On the down low’ was secret.

      But “Down-Low” took over as closeted MSM among Black Americans.

      ‘on the’ was dropped.

    4. Heavensrun

      There is a difference between “keeping it on the down-low” and “BEING on the down-low.”

      “Keep it on the down-low” means staying quiet and secretive about whatever “it” is.

      BEING on the down-low means that it is *you* that is the secret being kept. Because you’re super gay and don’t want people to know.

  10. Trixie Jubilation

    “This”, Jocelyn, being… your little sister’s awkward lesbian awakening?

  11. Wraithy2773

    Regarding the preponderances of alternate definitions of “the down-low”, let me assure everyone of something.

    An older sister playfully toying with the younger sibling about things is absolutely in character :D.

    1. Michael Steamweed

      Oh definitely! ‘Tis ancient tradition! Nay, it’s Jocelyne’s sacred right! And the ultimate pay off is TJF! (The Joyce Face [TM])

    2. Jeremiah

      I refuse to believe “preponderances” is a real word. You made that up, I accept nothing else.

      1. Opus the Poet

        It has been a legal term since before the American revolution.

        1. Jeremiah

          Everyone knows america isn’t real.

  12. IntangibleMatter

    Jocelyne has clearly missed getting to poke fun at her sister

  13. Charles Phipps

    Is it weird that I really want to see the Bulmeria protests?

    Also, somehow for Jocelyn to become part of the main cast.

    GRADUATE COURSES!

    1. Rose by Any other Name

      I would love to see Jocelyne join the main cast – although maybe she and Joyce should coordinate so as to not have almost identical hair styles. They look far too identical right now.

  14. Taffy

    The ship isn’t gonna sail, but it’s still fun to watch.

  15. BBCC

    Ahhhh, Joss is the best big sister.

  16. DashWallkick

    Early comic for tomorrow isn’t helping me here, why does Becky look so heartbroken here? Is she still thinking about “your sexuality might change”?

    1. Bash

      Because Joyce was unintentionally gay with Dorothy?

    2. Rolf of Many Doors

      Becky continues to have an intentionally-antagonistic-on-her-part relationship with Dorothy due to her jealousy over Dorothy having a larger part in Joyce’s life recently than Becky has had, despite Becky and Joyce having been best friends for most of their lives until Joyce left for college. Dorothy being the one Joyce turns to for things continues to be a sore spot for Becky.

      1. Thag Simmons

        Also Joyce’s feelings for Dorothy are different than they are for Becky. Not necessarily romantic, but certainly a lot closer to being romantic, and that’s gotta sting for someone who was nursing a crush for basically her whole life

        Not being into girls at all is one thing, not being into you specifically is another.

        1. cbwroses

          Is Becky aware of that though?
          I’m reasonably sure that any moments implying that are those the readers have seen, but Becky hasn’t.
          Then again, there’s a lot of material so I could be wrong.

    3. HueSatLight

      She also doesn’t know what “on the down low” means.

  17. Rolf of Many Doors

    I dunno the specific name of the fallacy, and it’s related to the Ad Populum fallacy, but basically it’s “If you’re in a group of 100 people that think one way about the same thing, it’s easy to think that that thing you all think is normal due to . If 900 other people think another way about that same thing, while the 100 people who think that way are still a lot of people, it’s also still only 10% of the population that thinks that way, 100/9900 -> 1%, etc.”

    The main reason why Jocelyne would think saying that you are “on the down low” – which normally means “secretive” in general – would mean what most here in the comments say means “secretive about one’s sexuality” is because they’re a person in a community where that phrase is used much more commonly to refer to that, rather than the general population’s definition of the term. It’s important to note that Joyce’ usage of the term, to most people, shouldn’t lead one to believe that “on the down low” would mean she’s being secretive about her sexuality/gender/whatever.

    1. Taffy

      It really isn’t that important to note, is it?

      1. Rolf of Many Doors

        Its importance is subjective, true, but to me it’s an important distinction and piece of context that until I commented it hadn’t been mentioned in the discussion of today’s strip so far.

        1. Mark

          It may not have earth-shattering significance, but it is interesting, so thanks for characterizing it for us.

        2. Yumi

          Well, yeah, because it’s obvious.
          Jocelyne is also likely teasing Joyce with the different meanings, since Joyce said *she* was on the down-low, which is unusual phrasing for her intended meaning.

        3. cbwroses

          Wasn’t obvious to me.
          I was beginning to wonder if I’d been misunderstanding the phrase the whole time.
          To be clear, I know that the phrase CAN be used in regards to someone hiding their sexuality, but I would only ever associate it with secrets in general without context, so big sis implying that general secrets is not what it refers to threw me.

        4. Yumi

          For the obvious part, I was only talking about the part they had said it was “important to note,” as that what was being discussed.

          And that part was that the sexual meaning wasn’t how Joyce was using it and that most people wouldn’t think of it that way.

        5. Yumi

          I definitely knew that thinking in both meanings wouldn’t be obvious to most people; immediately figured people in the comments would have questions upon reading the strip.

          Jocelyne almost definitely knows people use the phrase in different ways and that many people wouldn’t know the meaning she’s implying. I’d doubt she’d actually fall in the fallacy being described. She wants to tease Joyce, though I think her comment would have been better as, “Oh, and that’s ALL you think it means.”

          Free of context, I would think saying someONE is on the down-low would be using the sexuality meaning, while saying SOMETHING (including someone’s action) was on the down-low would be secretive in general.

          “Secretive” is still a bit different than “good at keeping secrets,” like Joyce is going for.

    2. Daibhid C

      Speaking as A Clueless Straight Guy, I would hear it as meaning she had some specific secret she was keeping, decide it probably didn’t mean she was secretly on drugs, and probably land on the sexuality thing by default.

      I would not interprete as meaning she was good at keeping secrets in general unless she told me, because I’ve never heard anyone use it to mean that before.

      1. Daibhid C

        To be clear, “some specific secret she was keeping” regarding her own lifestyle.

      2. thejeff

        If some one just announced out of the blue they were “on the down low”, I’d probably assume something similar.
        In the context of what Joyce said about sneaking into a bar and being cool and knowing how bad Joyce is with slang in general, I think I’d get what she’s trying to say.

        And then, if I was her big sister, tease her mercilessly about it.

  18. Charles Phipps

    Jocelyn has a lot of confidence they know more than Joyce and almost all of that is unearned.

    I mean, she didn’t even know superheroes exist.

  19. Bash

    I googled it and now I am saying “oh no” while laughing. It’s too good.

  20. Kyulen

    Either I didn’t know that meaning of “down-low” until I googled it just now, or I learned it long ago but forgot. In any case I can’t blame Joyce for not knowing. But it’s gonna be funny when she finds out.

    1. ValdVin

      I didn’t ever hear “down bad” until earlier this arc.

      Younger webcomic creators than I are doing their best to keep me current.

      1. Needfuldoer

        But if you haven’t heard of Strong Bad until now… Holy crap!

    2. gnomedeplume

      That’s why it’s generally a good idea to check what terms mean before incorporating them into your regular vernacular

      1. Mark

        Or just use them and brace yourself for embarassment — that’s how we learn.

        1. Buck Ripsnort

          Learned the hard way about “nonce”. Thought it meant “a short time.”

        2. thejeff

          It does.

          I think the other use is specifically British slang? And fairly recent?

        3. Mark

          The other? You mean “a large random number used once to initialize an exchange of secret or authenticated communication”? That’s used all over.

        4. thejeff

          Nah, the pedophile one.
          Though it’s apparently older than I thought.

        5. Taffy

          Playing Final Fantasy 14 has made that word very fun. Characters talking about doing stuff “for the nonce” makes sense in context, but it also makes it sound like the Scions are under the thumb of a creep.

  21. Arianod

    Return of the Joyce Eye Twitch 😀

    1. Amós Batista

      … I’ll gonna animate it

  22. Da Boy

    By This does she mean Joyce or are the fries here just so good she had to have some XD

    1. gnomedeplume

      I think she’s using the fry to point at her out self

      1. Da Boy

        Oh yeah that makes sense

    2. thejeff

      I think she means teasing Joyce.

  23. mysterious cube

    Considering the “laundry” she did with Dorothy*, she probably is on the down low

    *And wanting Dorothy to tell her how to have sex. And getting Dorothy to draw her naked. I guess we can’t include exchanging nudes because that was an accident but still, she did that too

  24. ValdVin

    Joyce is down low for her, down bad for him, and will someday learn what these terms mean.

    1. Michael Steamweed

      I’m down for that.

    2. gnomedeplume

      She’s making that down payment, she’s down to clown (frivolous merriment as far as she knows)

      1. Roborat

        I get knocked down, but I get again. You’re never gonna keep me down.

  25. Johnny Assay

    I’m just waiting for the day when she proudly refers to herself as a “friend of Dorothy”.

    1. thejeff

      A long time ago.

      Though she still doesn’t know.

    2. Tesset

      Exciting news! Wait no longer, friend!

  26. FluffyLlamacorn

    I only knew “down low” in the general secret, so before I looked into the comments for further definitions, I figured Jocelyne was implying that instagramming your salacious adventures is very bad secret keeping. Especially with the reminder that Jocelyne’s going to a protest with her phone off tomorrow. She might be teasing Joyce about the other definition, but I still think that’s a major part of it?

  27. Michael Steamweed

    Yes, Dorothy, very gently, do whisper into Joyce’s ear. Quietly guide her into its deeper meaning. 😀

    1. Yumi

      Unfortunately, it would seem extremely unlikely to me that Dorothy would know the other meaning. She’ll just have to find other things to whisper into Joyce’s ear.

      1. Jeremiah

        Dorothy: “Omelette du fromage”

        Joyce: *Faints*

        1. Proxiehunter

          I don’t know, sounds pretty cheesy.

        2. Michael Steamweed

          Dorothy as Gomez Addams and Joyce as Morticia Addams is a mental image I was not expecting to invade my headspace this day. Yet here we are now. 😀

        3. Jeremiah

          It was a Dexter Lab reference actually.

        4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Dee-dee…

  28. Hof1991

    That Joyce says this with her large boyfriend behind her and her hands on her
    gal pal is simply perfect. Joss will be telling this story forever.

    1. Michael Steamweed

      “So, Jocelyne, what brings you here?”

      “I need more stuff to write about. And I think Joyce is going to give me far more than I will need for the next ten years.”

  29. Jackie

    Taking the piss out of her sister and eating french fries. That’s some real trans rep

  30. Zamperla

    I mean. Technically speaking. By the OTHER definition. Legally. Biblically. Yes, technically, yes she is also that.

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