Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The soft belly or underside of an animal's body.
- noun The bottom side or part.
- noun The vulnerable or weak part or aspect.
- noun The corrupt or immoral part or aspect.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The lower ventral part of the abdomen of an animal, especially one that walks on four feet.
- noun The surface of an object closest to the ground, especially of an extended object such as an airplane.
- noun   The weak point of an object vulnerable to attack; used especially in the phrase “the soft underbelly ”.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun figuratively The side which is not normally seen
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the quality of being weak or unprotected
- noun lower side
- noun the soft belly or underside of an animal's body
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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								The stupidity that excretes from the mouths of the rightwing underbelly is just astonishing U.S. prepared to push for crippling sanctions, Iran warned 2009 
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								Hey Dougie, thank you for confirming my 1st post: "The stupidity that excretes from the mouths of the rightwing underbelly is just astonishing." U.S. prepared to push for crippling sanctions, Iran warned 2009 
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								Okay, at the risk of revealing my soggy, maudlin underbelly ... this made me a smidgen weepy. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY 2010 
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								I also note that your puritanical underbelly is showing. Think Progress » VIDEO: House Conservatives Reveal What God Thinks About Gay Marriage Amendment 2006 
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								Our underbelly is showing and we are no longer safe. Think Progress » Condi Throws Stones From Her Glass House 2005 
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								Rome's underbelly is gradually revealed, and each book spirals you further in and further down into real Roman life. The Enemies of Jupiter: Summary and book reviews of The Enemies of Jupiter by Caroline Lawrence. 2005 
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								Looking out his window, he had time to think just three things: The wheels are up, the underbelly is white, and "man, that guy is low." USATODAY.com - For many on Sept. 11, survival was no accident 2001 
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								Trig’s real mom, suggests the internet underbelly, is Sarah’s teenage daughter, Bristol. 23/6: Sarah Palin Is Not Trig’s Mother | Disinformation 2008 
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								Us people in developed nations prefer to call our underbelly a gunt. 
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								He can eat the underbelly, which is real soft, where there's no quills. CNN Transcript - Larry King Live: Jack Hanna Lets the Fur Fly - January 11, 2001 2001 
fbharjo commented on the word underbelly
under-bell-ly
April 28, 2011