Delhi belly
- noun
- Informal
- You should drink only bottled water to avoid getting Delhi belly.
Examples
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Many tourists carry medication to prepare for the possibility of Delhi belly.
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Many travelers experience Delhi belly during their trip to India.
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After eating raw vegetables from a street vendor, he came down with Delhi belly.
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After eating street food, I got a bad case of Delhi belly.
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After eating street food in Delhi, I was worried I might get Delhi belly before the big tour.
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Traveling in India can be risky for your stomach; many tourists experience Delhi belly from contaminated food.
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She packed some medication just in case she caught Delhi belly during her trip to India.
Synonyms
A pain in the stomach or belly that makes you uncomfortable
A pain in the stomach that makes you feel sick
A pain in the stomach or tummy
An illness that affects the stomach and intestines, often from bad food or water
How Severe
- US
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines a place name 'Delhi' with 'belly' (stomach), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer it refers to a stomach problem associated with Delhi or travel there. Although colloquial and culturally specific, the meaning is compositionally clear rather than idiomatic, so B1 learners who know the constituents will typically understand it.
Etymology
Delhi belly may come from stories by travelers who got bad stomachs after eating local food in Delhi. The name uses Delhi for the place and belly for 'stomach', so it now means 'an upset stomach while traveling, especially in India'.