go belly-up

Idioms and Phrases

Fail, go bankrupt, as in This company's about to go belly-up . This expression alludes to the posture of a dead fish in the water. [ Slang ; early 1900s] Also see go broke .

Example Sentences

“He’s not as great a businessman as he thinks. A lot of his businesses go belly up, quickly.”

From Seattle Times

So is the idea that Social Security will go “belly up” in some number of years — even if Congress sits on its hands, the program will still have enough revenue to cover three-quarters of the benefits due.

From Los Angeles Times

A system that allows a 167-year-old bank to go belly up, in the space of a few days, at the cost of many jobs and massive losses in share value?

From BBC

“A private company with tens of millions of customers would go belly up if their information technology was older than the CEO’s parents,” said Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents IRS employees.

From Washington Post

According to the notice, Diamond Baby is a small, black and brown Chihuahua who “is a little shy and will go belly up if you try to carry her.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• descend
• dip
• drop
• flop
• go down
• nose-dive
• plummet
• plunge
• sag
• skid
• slip
• slump
• spill
• stumble
• topple