belly up
Definition of belly up
intransitive verb
: to move close or next to bellied up to the bar
From the M-W Editors
Examples of belly up in a Sentence
belly up to the buffet table and help yourselves
First Known Use of belly up
1880
Financial Definition of BELLY UP
belly up
What It Is
In the finance world, a company goes belly up when it declares bankruptcy or goes out of business.
How It Works
Let’s assume Company XYZ’s stock falls from $10 per share to 50 cents per share due to a series of internal scandals and product failures. The company files for bankruptcy a week later. In this situation, we would say that Company XYZ went belly up.
Why It Matters
The financial world seems to have its own language sometimes. In this case, the slang term evolved from the fact that when creatures die, they tend to fall on their backs, with their bellies facing up.
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