yellowbelly

[ yel-oh-bel-ee ]
/ ˈyɛl oʊˌbɛl i /

noun, plural yel·low·bel·lies.

Slang. a person who is without courage, fortitude, or nerve; coward.

Origin of yellowbelly

First recorded in 1790–1800; yellow + belly

Words nearby yellowbelly

yellow-throated vireo, yellow-throated warbler, yellow-yite, yellowback, yellowbark, yellowbelly, yellowbird, yellowcake, yelloweye rockfish, yellowface, yellowfin tuna

Example sentences from the Web for yellow-belly

  • Around the middle of each corn fairy is a yellow-belly belt.

    Rootabaga Stories |Carl Sandburg

  • Praed was a quitter—a yellow-belly—besides being—But he stopped there.

    Astounding Stories, February, 1931 |Various

  • In his notes, the yellow-belly may be said to take after both the least flycatcher and the wood pewee.

    The Foot-path Way |Bradford Torrey

British Dictionary definitions for yellow-belly

yellow-belly

noun plural -lies

a slang word for coward
Australian another name for callop

Derived forms of yellow-belly

yellow-bellied, adjective