Belly up

[Camán]

For further confusion, or maybe smiles, combine the saying with another one:

The plumbers futile attempts to loose weight went down the drain, belly up.

[Tdol]

Your plumber's failed diet may drive people round the bend.

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by Tdol

Your plumber's failed diet may drive people round the bend.

That is good, but I do rather like the pun. (The plumber's futile attemps to lose weight went down the drain.)

[poligurl]

This expression is not really used very commonly anymore in daily spoken English anymore. You're more likely to see it in print, I think. Another similar one is the use of the word 'bust,' which means to go broke or to fail financially. For instance one might say, 'the dot come boom went bust.'

[Suresh verma]

good & best



:n00b:

[thod00]

I would say it is most common in relation to business. Its very common to hear that something has gone belly up. If you work in investment banking etc they have a whole raft of such expressions. You could say it's walked south for example. North and South being up and down on a compass and the direction the stock price has moved. I always assumed belly up referred to death. In the old cowboy movies they always seemed to land on thier backs after being shot in a gun fight.

[theeexcellence]

If I start teaching here in the U.K, it is sure to go belly up.

[Daruma]

go belly up (informal) to fail completely: Last year the business went belly up after one of the partners resigned.

[nitikasnv]

Hi,

BELLY UP:To approach closely


Thanks

[MadcowD]

I'm an American, and I feel really bad that I messed this up! Ugh