below\ the\ belt

below\ the\ belt
adv. phr.
1. In the stomach; lower than is legal in boxing.

He struck the other boy below the belt.

2. informal In an unfair or cowardly way; against the rules of sportsmanship or justice; unsportingly; wrongly.

It was hitting below the belt for Mr. Jones's rival to tell people about a crime that Mr. Jones committed when he was a young boy.

Pete told the students to vote against Harry because Harry was in a wheelchair and couldn't be a good class president, but the students thought Pete was hitting below the belt.


Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

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  • Below the Belt — may refer to: * Below the belt, a fighting term * Below the Belt (gender), a term used to illustrate the deconstruction of gender * Below the Belt (Hellyeah DVD) * Below the Belt (album), an album by Pigfaceee also*Above the line (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • below the belt — If someone says something that is cruel or unfair, it is below the belt, like the illegal punches in boxing …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • below the belt — ► below the belt unfair; disregarding the rules. [ORIGIN: from the notion of an illegal blow in boxing.] Main Entry: ↑belt …   English terms dictionary

  • below the belt — [adj/adv] nastily and unfairly cowardly, dirty, dishonest, foul, unjust, unscrupulous, unsportsmanlike; concepts 411,674,732 …   New thesaurus

  • below the belt — I adjective disregarding the rules (from the notion of an illegal low blow in boxing) her accusations were below the belt • Similar to: ↑unfair, ↑unjust • Topics: ↑boxing, ↑pugilism, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • below the belt — {adv. phr.} 1. In the stomach; lower than is legal in boxing. * /He struck the other boy below the belt./ 2. {informal} In an unfair or cowardly way; against the rules of sportsmanship or justice; unsportingly; wrongly. * /It was hitting below… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • below the belt — {adv. phr.} 1. In the stomach; lower than is legal in boxing. * /He struck the other boy below the belt./ 2. {informal} In an unfair or cowardly way; against the rules of sportsmanship or justice; unsportingly; wrongly. * /It was hitting below… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Below the belt — Mainly used in combat sports such as boxing and kickboxing, the term below the belt is referred to all the area of the body that lies, as the term indicates, below the line of the belt, including the genital area, legs, and crotch. In these… …   Wikipedia

  • below the belt —    If someone says something that is cruel or unfair, it is below the belt, like the illegal punches in boxing.   (Dorking School Dictionary)    ***    An action or remark described as below the belt is considered to be unfair or cruel.    … …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • below the belt — not fair. That new advertisement really hits below the belt. Usage notes: often used with hit, as in the example Etymology: based on the idea of hitting someone below the belt in boxing, which is against the rules …   New idioms dictionary

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