Idiomatic expressions with belly
June 18th, 2014 in Expressions
Here is a list of idiomatic expressions using the word belly.
A growing youth has a wolf in his belly.
This is a proverb. It means that people who are growing up are hungry all the time.
Air one’s belly
To air one’s belly is to vomit.
- The boy was airing his belly for most of the night and consequently he was taken to the hospital.
Belly up
When you are belly up, you are intoxicated.
- He was belly up. He must have had a few drinks.
When a business is belly up, it is bankrupt.
- Now that the company is belly up, its employees are desperately searching for jobs.
Have a yellow belly
To have a yellow belly is to act cowardly.
- Mike has a yellow belly. He is afraid to spend time alone in his house.
Turn / go belly up
To turn belly up is to fail.
- I always suspected that the scheme would go belly up and it did.
To belly up is to die.
- Every fish in my tank went belly up yesterday.
Somebody’s eyes are bigger than their belly/stomach
This is a humorous expression. It is used to suggest that someone has taken more food than they can eat.
- I can’t finish this steak. I guess my eyes were bigger than my belly as usual.
A belly laugh
A belly laugh is a loud laugh that you simply can’t control.
- The boy’s antics were so amusing that he gave me a real belly laugh.
Fire in your belly
When you have fire in your belly, you are ready to fight with determination.
- I am sure he will win his case. He has plenty of fire in his belly.