underbelly
14
6.8
- noun
- /ˈʌndərˌbɛli/
:
lado oscuro
- And we discover that the underbelly of this beautiful rock is teeming with every kind of slithering, repulsive insect...
That's when we start seeing that covert underbelly.
- That's when we start seeing that covert underbelly.
- But you don't understand the whole ugly underbelly.
- The soft underbelly of that is we actually are are afraid that we're not those things.
- But, you know, there's a devious underbelly to one of these sprinkles versus cherry.
- And now I'm having to work in the back streets of this establishment in the seedy underbelly of his own customers.
- Your commentary on Tampa, which I have a good friend and that took me to an underbelly of Tampa was spot on.
- And here we're getting to see, you might say, the underbelly or the how things really are, how they stand.
Examples
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People come, people go, but how many ever stop to take a look at the underbelly of the beast?
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The news report highlighted the underbelly of the city's nightlife, exposing crime and corruption.
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And here we're getting to see, you might say, the underbelly or the how things really are, how they stand.
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How did it ever find me, here in the underbelly of the world?
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I head for the back of the laneway and seek a path through the underbelly of the city.
Fiction book (2001) -
Where everyone else saw the picture-perfect New England town of their youth, you saw the underbelly of its existence.
Fiction book (2002) -
The unfortunate truth is that there is a very dark underbelly to Scientology.
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There will also be a huge underbelly of marginalized Americans without sufficient skills.
Blog text (18) -
The doorway to the seedy underbelly of London.
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From the dark underbelly beneath Melbourne's charming European-flecked facade, Two women found triumph today.
Synonyms
2
6.7
A weak part of a plan or organization that others can easily take advantage of
Compounds
- Informal
2
6.7
A weak part of a plan or organization that others can easily take advantage of
How Hidden
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Underbelly combines under 'below' and belly 'stomach'. People use it for the hidden, often unpleasant or dangerous side of a city or group, meaning what is 'under' the nice surface that most people do not see.