below the belt
unfair, disprespectful (behaviour)
TRANSLATION
below the belt = unter der Gürtellinie --- GOOGLE INDEX below the belt: approximately 1,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
The liberal democrats feel that the Tories have repeatedly hit them BELOW THE BELT in this campaign and they aren’t inclined to play nice any more.
(BBC News)
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Two Reasons Investors Kicked Google BELOW THE BELT
(Wall Street Journal)
(BBC News)
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Two Reasons Investors Kicked Google BELOW THE BELT
(Wall Street Journal)
Did you
know?
below the belt
idiom
- not according to the rules; unfairly
(American Heritage Dictionary)
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It is often said that sports are a metaphor for life: dedication, hard work, commitment, setting goals, fair play, etc. Even if one doesn't share this view, one thing is certain: the world of sports is one of the great sources of idioms, such as in boxing.
In professional boxing, a strike below the waist, or a "low blow", is illegal. For this reason the expression below the belt is used in a figurative sense to mean an unfair comment or action. It can also be used to refer to comments that are considered vulgar.
But this is not the only expression we can use belt with. Here are a few other examples:
- tighten the belt = to spend less money (We have really tightened our belt during the recession)
- under one's belt = to have achieved or mastered something (She has several years of business experience in Asia under her belt)
- belt something out = to sing or play a song loudly and with spirit (The fans were belting out the team's anthem in the stadium)
SYNONYMS
low blow, insult, low, mean, uncalled for
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"We welcome constructive criticism, but comments below the belt are unacceptable."
idiom
- not according to the rules; unfairly
(American Heritage Dictionary)
---
It is often said that sports are a metaphor for life: dedication, hard work, commitment, setting goals, fair play, etc. Even if one doesn't share this view, one thing is certain: the world of sports is one of the great sources of idioms, such as in boxing.
In professional boxing, a strike below the waist, or a "low blow", is illegal. For this reason the expression below the belt is used in a figurative sense to mean an unfair comment or action. It can also be used to refer to comments that are considered vulgar.
But this is not the only expression we can use belt with. Here are a few other examples:
- tighten the belt = to spend less money (We have really tightened our belt during the recession)
- under one's belt = to have achieved or mastered something (She has several years of business experience in Asia under her belt)
- belt something out = to sing or play a song loudly and with spirit (The fans were belting out the team's anthem in the stadium)
SYNONYMS
low blow, insult, low, mean, uncalled for
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"We welcome constructive criticism, but comments below the belt are unacceptable."
