How to ask if a guy is gay without asking if he’s gay, according to the Internet

“Ask me if I’m gay without asking me if I’m gay,” a Reddit user asked fellow homos on July 7, riffing on the popular TikTok prompt.

And boy, did people cut to the quick with their coded questions.

The question about fathers below, for example, got an “angry upvote”—or begrudging appreciation—from one commenter. And the inquiry about underwear below had a different commenter saying, “Damn, that hit hard.”

Here are some of the questions from the thread:

• “What face moisturizer do you use?”
• “Why are you walking like that?”
• “I need some VHS cleaner. Know where to get some?”
• “Why are your knees red?”
• “Finish the song ‘Thank You for Being a Friend.’”
• “How do you check your nails?”

Related: Gay men list the gay stereotypes they feel are most accurate

• “Checking out the underwear aisle again? Didn’t you get new boxers for your birthday?”
• “Who’s your favorite diva?”
• “So the GPS says it’ll take 10 minutes to walk there. How long do you think it’ll take you?”
• “What’s your Starbucks order?”
• “Family?”
• “How many minutes are in a year?”

• “Favorite Charli XCX song?”
• “Pitcher, catcher, or midfield?”
• “Gun Oil or Astroglide?”
• “Bette or Joan?”
• “‘I didn’t ask for a free ride.’ What’s the next lyric?”

• “How many years/decades has it been since you last talked to or seen your dad?”
• “Rogaine and wax strips on Amazon subscription?”
• “What’s your favorite Lana Del Rey album?”
• “Have I told you about this guy I work with called Sean Cody?”

Related: Reddit users list the names they’d give a gay bar, and puns abound

And now for some honorable mentions: “Whenever I encounter someone that I think may be gay, I ask them questions about some of the local gay bars without stating they are gay bars,” one person said. “Works great.”

Another commenter wrote, “I asked someone in my local Pokémon Go group, whom knew I was gay, ‘Hey! So are you a Fairy type, too?’”