soft underbelly
Meaning: A point of vulnerability or weakness in something otherwise strong or well-defended.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Category: Animals
Origin: The phrase draws on the image of an animal's underbelly—the soft, unprotected underside exposed when it lies down or is vulnerable.
More idioms — Animals
- loaded for bear — Fully prepared and equipped, mentally and materially, to face a difficult challenge or co…
- until the cows come home — For an indefinitely long time; forever or seemingly forever.
- plumer la poule sans la faire crier — To extract money or advantage from someone so skillfully that they do not complain or res…
- faire le pont-levis — For a horse to rear up very high.
- faire dresser l’oreille — To catch someone's attention or spark their interest.
- renaître de ses cendres — To rise again and flourish after near-total destruction.
More English idioms
- long fuse — A personality trait of being slow to anger; patience before losing one's temper.
- long pork — Human flesh, especially as food.
- bow out — To resign or withdraw from a situation while preserving one's dignity and reputation.
- long shot — Something unlikely to succeed or happen; a bet or venture with very poor odds.
- see with half an eye — To perceive something obvious with very little effort or attention.
- mugged by reality — To experience a sudden, brutal confrontation with harsh truth after living in comfortable…
From our proverbs
- Where every hand fleeceth, the sheep go naked. — Widespread petty theft by many people causes greater damage than a single large theft wou…
- A May flood never did good. — Spring floods destroy crops and infrastructure before harvest, making their destructive p…
- Flowers are the pledge of fruit. — Beautiful beginnings promise productive outcomes, so nurture promising signs carefully fo…