underbelly
5
6.6
- noun
- /ˈʌndərˌbɛli/
:
punto débil
- And that does create a soft underbelly to our system for sure.
- the soft underbelly
And that does create a soft underbelly to our system for sure.
- And that does create a soft underbelly to our system for sure.
- And he sort of refers to this sense that there is this problem which isn't quite solved yet, but it has a soft underbelly.
Examples
-
The Arabs consider Europe to be the soft underbelly of the U.S. alliance with Israel and the best way to drive a wedge between the two historic allies.
Academic text (2010) -
What's more, the 9/11 attacks suddenly exposed modern seaports, with their vast linked transportation and storage infrastructures, as the soft underbelly of security in the country.
Academic text (2005) -
As it turns out, of course, modern technology has given Washington more than one soft underbelly.
Fiction book (1995) -
The Americans preferred the soft underbelly of southern France.
Academic text (2000) -
In other words, the Black Sea basin is regarded as the "soft underbelly" of the Russian homeland.
Academic text (2000) -
Syria is the soft underbelly of Iran, Tehran's most important ally, conduit for arms and cash to terrorists.
Blog text (6) -
The suspect’s past revealed the dark underbelly of crime in the city.
-
Corruption represents the underbelly of the political system that needs reform.
-
The team's lack of preparation exposed the underbelly of their strategy during the tournament.
Synonyms
24
2.7
A part that others can easily attack or use against someone
11
8.7
The most important part of something that can be easily hurt
5
4.4
A weak part of a person, thing, or system that can be easily harmed
2
6.7
A weak part of a plan or organization that others can easily take advantage of
1
4.2
A place that is likely to fail or be harmed
Compounds
- Informal
2
6.7
A weak part of a plan or organization that others can easily take advantage of
How Vulnerable
Surface Forms
Morphology
underbelly = belly (semi-transparent) = under + belly
The metaphorical sense 'vulnerable or weakest part' is derived from the physical underside but requires pragmatic/world knowledge and is not fully predictable from components for all learners. [Postprocessing: moved 'under' from base_words to prefix]
Etymology
Underbelly combines under 'below' and belly 'stomach'. A helpful way to remember the second meaning is to think of an animal's soft belly as the place an enemy could hurt, so underbelly came to mean the 'weak' or 'vulnerable' part of something.