yellow-belly

yellow-belly
n
a coward. This phrase, adopted by mod-ern schoolchildren from the language of western movies, was probably coined after the turn of the 20th century. The use of the word yellow to denote coward-ice is a 19th-century development.

Contemporary slang . 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • yellow-belly — ☆ yellow belly [yel′ōbel΄ē ] n. pl. yellow bellies Slang a contemptible coward yellow bellied [yel′ō bel΄ēēd] adj. * * * See yellow bellied. * * * …   Universalium

  • yellow-belly — ☆ yellow belly [yel′ōbel΄ē ] n. pl. yellow bellies Slang a contemptible coward yellow bellied [yel′ō bel΄ēēd] adj …   English World dictionary

  • yellow-belly — ► NOUN informal ▪ a coward. DERIVATIVES yellow bellied adjective …   English terms dictionary

  • yellow-belly — n. a coward. □ He’s not a yellow belly. He’s cautious. □ Tell the yellow belly to come outside and say that …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • yellow belly — a coward, a person who is afraid to do something    Smith, you yellow belly! Jump in the water and swim! …   English idioms

  • yellow-belly sunfish — rožinis saulešeris statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Lepomis auritus angl. yellow belly sunfish; long eared sunfish; longears; redbreast sunfish rus. розовая солнечная рыба; розовый солнечник ryšiai:… …   Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

  • yellow-belly — yellˈow belly noun (slang) A coward • • • Main Entry: ↑yellow …   Useful english dictionary

  • yellow-belly — noun informal a coward. Derivatives yellow bellied adjective …   English new terms dictionary

  • yellow-belly — (Roget s Thesaurus II) noun Slang. An ignoble, uncourageous person: coward, craven, dastard, funk, poltroon. Slang: chicken. See FEAR …   English dictionary for students

  • Yellow Belly — Youngstown Sheet & Tube’s nickname …   Eponyms, nicknames, and geographical games

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”