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belly up

English translation: failure (in general)

03:02 Jan 25, 2004
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Slang
English term or phrase: belly up
Dolores is no stronger and life is no kinder. But this time she's determined to rist to the occasion and give herself one more chance before really going belly up.

What does it mean by "belly up"? "Belly up" in the dictionary mean "to move close to". I don't understand the word in this context. However, the story used to talked about beached whale, I don't know if there is anything to do with the whale belly up?
Buttercup
Selected answer:failure (in general)
Explanation:
This term usually refers to a "plan" of some sort, which is thwarted for whatever reason, and hence goes "belly up". In your context, Dolores has a "plan" to "rise to the occasion" (whatever that may be) and is going to try it before finally admitting defeat. At least, that is the most likely explanation.

The suggestion of "bankrupt" is not therefore necessarily wrong, it may well apply under specific circumastances, but hard to judge without knowing more about Delores!

In very specific contexts, where it is clear that failure=death (e.g. in a shoot-out), then that answer may also be valid.

But generally, it refers to failure. It can be as mundane as "we were planning to watch X vs Y on TV in the sports bar, but that went belly up, becos the satellite wasn't working".

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Note added at 36 mins (2004-01-25 03:39:23 GMT)
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sorry about the extra \'a\' in circumstances!
Selected response from:

Charlie Bavington
Local time: 22:00
Grading comment
Thank you very much everyone
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +16failure (in general)
Charlie Bavington
5 +9Give up
Alex Zelkind (X)
5 +1to become bankrupt.
Fuad Yahya
4 +1dead
NGK


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
dead


Explanation:
Belly up, like a dead fish in the water. (I don't know whether it means dead in a literal or in a figurative way here, only context can tell.)

NGK
United States
Local time: 16:00
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 52

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  JoeYeckley (X): before dying
4 mins
neutral  Charlie Bavington: see below
35 mins
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2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
to become bankrupt.


Explanation:
To go belly-up is to become bankrupt.

Fuad Yahya
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  PB Trans
16 mins
neutral  Charlie Bavington: only in specific circumstances. Not wrong, just too specific.
30 mins
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29 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +9
Give up


Explanation:
Is another way to interpret this

Alex Zelkind (X)
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Charlie Bavington: yep, in the sentence that we have, if D decides to go belly up, it could easily mean exactly this (see below!!)
6 mins
agree  Rajan Chopra
10 mins
  -> Thank you, Charlie and Langclinic
agree  chica nueva: giving up and abandoning control of her life,giving up the struggle to make something of herself,becoming defeated and giving up hope, to float like flotsam and jetsam,to drift...?? Do boats go belly-up, (or just keel over and turn turtle?)
3 hrs
agree  Jacqueline van der Spek
5 hrs
agree  Annamaria Leone
7 hrs
agree  NancyLynn
8 hrs
agree  Nado2002
20 hrs
agree  Asghar Bhatti
1 day 11 hrs
agree  Matthew Fagan
4 days
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31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +16
failure (in general)


Explanation:
This term usually refers to a "plan" of some sort, which is thwarted for whatever reason, and hence goes "belly up". In your context, Dolores has a "plan" to "rise to the occasion" (whatever that may be) and is going to try it before finally admitting defeat. At least, that is the most likely explanation.

The suggestion of "bankrupt" is not therefore necessarily wrong, it may well apply under specific circumastances, but hard to judge without knowing more about Delores!

In very specific contexts, where it is clear that failure=death (e.g. in a shoot-out), then that answer may also be valid.

But generally, it refers to failure. It can be as mundane as "we were planning to watch X vs Y on TV in the sports bar, but that went belly up, becos the satellite wasn't working".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 36 mins (2004-01-25 03:39:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

sorry about the extra \'a\' in circumstances!

Charlie Bavington
Local time: 22:00
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you very much everyone

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Alex Zelkind (X): Yes, "surrender" or "give up" in this context, it seems
6 mins
agree  Rajan Chopra
7 mins
agree  pike: primary meaning is a colloquial expression for "to die" - croke
18 mins
agree  RHELLER: YES! admitting defeat is perfect
41 mins
agree  chica nueva: go/turn belly up (informal) = If a company or plan goes/turns belly up, it fails. (metaphor - from fish dying)
3 hrs
agree  jerrie: giving in, letting it all go pear-shaped!
6 hrs
agree  NancyLynn: admitting defeat
8 hrs
agree  melayujati: in defeat.
8 hrs
agree  J. Leo (X)
8 hrs
agree  cmwilliams (X)
8 hrs
agree  David Moore (X)
9 hrs
agree  Refugio
10 hrs
agree  Nado2002
20 hrs
agree  Gordon Darroch (X)
1 day 6 hrs
agree  Matthew Fagan
4 days
agree  Rajiv Arora
6 days
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