below the belt

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɪˈləʊ ðiː bɛlt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /bəˈloʊ ðə bɛlt/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

below the belt

1. (boxing) Of a punch, landing illegally, below the opponent's waist.
2. (by extension, idiomatic) Unfair; dirty; not according to the generally accepted rules.

   Commenting on his bachelorhood in a debate on marital ethics was a bit below the belt, don't you think?

Derived terms

• hit below the belt, most common verb form

Translations

(boxing) of a punch that lands below the opponent's waist

• Dutch: onder de gordel
• Finnish: vyön alle
• German: unter der Gürtellinie
• Hungarian: övön alul, övön aluli
• Icelandic: undir beltisstað
• Irish: buille íseal m
• Polish: poniżej pasa
• Russian: ни́же пояса (ru) (níže pojasa)
• Swedish: under bältet (sv)

unfair; not according to the rules

• Dutch: onder de gordel
• Finnish: vyön alle
• French: déloyal (fr), en dessous de la ceinture (fr)
• German: unter der Gürtellinie
• Hungarian: övön alul, övön aluli
• Icelandic: undir beltisstað
• Italian: scorretto (it)
• Russian: ни́же пояса (ru) (níže pojasa)
• Swedish: under bältet (sv)

See also

• low blow
• under one's belt