Episode 318: Belly Up

Quick Quips: This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, "Belly Up". Bonus: Fish, Bars, and Backwards Belly Flops

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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast 
Quick Quips
Episode 318: Belly-Up
Record Date: April 28, 2026 
Air Date: May 6, 2026

Intro

Dan:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase. 

I’m Dan Pugh

Shauna:
And I’m Shauna Harrison

Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today. 

Welcome to another Quick Quips episode where we look at phrases that, for whatever reason, don’t fit into our regular format.

Today, we’re going to find out just what it takes to go belly-up. 

Meaning
According to Oxford English Dictionary, belly-up is a figurative, colloquial term, originally from the U.S. that means,  

Quote
In or into a situation of having failed (especially financially), 
died, finished, or become defunct. 
Especially in to go belly-up.
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/belly_v?tab=meaning_and_use#23738232 

How it Started (Could be figurative or literal)

There is an older entry in the Oxford English Dictionary for belly up,

Quote
In or into a position with the belly or underside facing upwards; specifically (especially of a fish) in or into this position as the result of dying.
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/belly-up_adv?tab=meaning_and_use#11788138 

This literal version of belly up was in use by the mid 1700s and became common into the 1800s. 

Here is one example from the December 1, 1832 edition of the publication Traveller & Spirit of Times. 

Quote
On the following day several flounders were seen, belly up, floating on the surface of the water.
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/belly-up_adv?tab=meaning_and_use#11788138 

I found a humorous story that used this more literal version of belly-up that involves trout and a character named Old Bill. And we’re going to look at that during our behind the scenes video which airs every Friday on Patreon. That’s at patreon.com/BunnyTrailsPod. 

How it Shifted (or How it Became Figurative)

It doesn’t take long for a phrase like this to find that figurative usage. That shift became noticeable in print by the mid to late 1800s.

1899
Here’s an example, found in the September 30, 1899 edition of the Evening star, out of Washington, D.C. This comes from an article titled, Life on the Road - Some of the Queer Experiences of a Wandering Worker. The excerpt we’re looking at discusses men traveling based on the season.

Quote
Some seek a cool summer and go only a few hundred miles to a comparatively cool climate. A few save enough in summer to keep them in a city for the winter.

Others, perhaps most, simply go from one job to another, blowing in and going belly up between jobs. A few, though, instead of going belly up, start up to look for work while they have a Colorado stake left. A Colorado stake is $5 and a bottle of whisky or six bits and a plug of tobacco.
End Quote
https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045462/1899-09-30/ed-1/?sp=20&q=belly-up&r=0.459,0.01,0.393,0.223,0 

If that definition of Colorado stake wasn’t especially helpful, it basically means this group starts looking for work while they still have a small amount of resources left… some cash and a bit of sustenance.

1950
I found several articles throughout the 1950s that discussed the Daily Times, a paper started by Franklin Roosevelt’s daughter and her husband. The one I’ll be reading from is the August 17, 1950 edition of the Brewery Gulch gazette, out of Bisbee, Arizona. 

Quote
On its own, the Times lost about a thousand dollars a day and this was solely due to the fact that the New Dealers and Fair Dealers in its territory did not give it sufficient support to keep it alive.
So, "unfortunately", a business enterprise which did not give its potential customers their money's worth had to go belly up, to use a vulgar expression often heard on Brewery Gulch.
End Quote
https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn89070012/1950-08-17/ed-1/?sp=2&q=belly-up&r=0.469,0.049,0.789,0.448,0 

Next up we’ll look at just how the phrase is used today, but first, a quick thank you to our sponsors

A Quick Thank You 
Dan
This episode is brought to you by our amazing Patrons on Patreon. It’s 100% free to join the Bunny Trails community, so give our weekly discussions and poll questions a try!

Shauna
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Dan
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You can join the Bunny Trails community for free at bunny trails pod on Patreon. 

That’s patreon.com/bunnytrailspod 

How it's used today

Belly up is frequently used to describe the end of a business venture or political career. It’s seen in newspapers and media. But it also has a place in pop culture. 

1997
Belly Up is the name of a 1997 movie with an interesting plot, 

Quote 
Two hit men, a veteran and a beginner, chatter in a bar on Brazil-Paraguai border, while waiting for their victim to appear.
End Quote
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133091/
https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/belly-up-1117432663/   

The two pass the time talking about their work and their lives, only to discover there’s more to the situation than they expected. And if you’ve seen this film… please send over a message and let me know how it ends.

2010
Belly Up is the first book in the FunJungle series by Stuart Gibbs, published in 2010. Here is a synopsis from the author’s website,  

Quote 
Murder. Mayhem. Megafauna.
Henry the Hippo, the beloved mascot of FunJungle, America’s hottest new tourist attraction, is dead. Twelve-year-old Teddy Fitzroy suspects foul play, but when no one believes him, he decides to investigate himself. To his surprise, he discovers that plenty of people wanted Henry gone — and the list of suspects keeps growing. As Teddy searches through the clues and asks too many questions, it becomes clear that he too might end up belly up.
End Quote
https://stuartgibbs.com/books-2/belly-up/ 

I really enjoy children’s mystery novels. They tend to be a bit more clever than adult stories. Or maybe just a bit more random… in a fun way. 

Current
Belly Up is a venue - club, music hall, tavern. Their website shares a bit of their history, 

Quote
The Belly Up opened in Solana Beach, California, in 1974 with only a couple of mics and no stage. Over the years it became a frequent stop for legends like John Lee Hooker, Etta James, and BB King. Epic performances by Curtis Mayfield, George Clinton, The Neville Brothers, and Toots and The Maytals also are a part of the club’s early legacy. Since then, many artists have stopped by on their way up the ladder, including No Doubt, Black Eyed Peas, Mumford and Sons, Childish Gambino, and many many more.

Major artists have also done underplays at the venue in recent years, including The Killers, The Red Hot Chili Peppers (who also played the club for 200 people in 1985), Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson, Ben Harper, Damian Marley, and Tom Jones. And, perhaps most famously, the Rolling Stones played a private event here in 2015.
End Quote
https://bellyup.com/about/ 

As a side note, there are other ways to use the words belly up… you might be getting close enough to a counter for your belly to touch… or possibly close enough to another person, such as when dancing. The Belly Up venue also hosts the Belly Up Tavern with the tagline - Fill Your Belly Up. So the name is definitely pulling its weight. 

Shauna:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included, reach out to us on Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod, or comment on our website, bunnytrailspod.com

Poll question 

Dan:

It’s poll time! 

Recently we asked our Patrons: What would you name your pet rock?

Over 2/3rds of you said you would name it something funny like a joke or pun. With most of the rest of you saying something ironic like a name that does not fit a rock. 

JGP said: 
Quote
I'd probably just give it a name, but an incongruous one, something like Hubert maybe.
End Quote

Jan shared:
Quote
Maybe Sandy if it was sandstone, Limey if it was limestone (with a pirate accent of course). 
End Quote

Shauna: 

Glitterfluff said: 
Quote 
It really depends on the rock. What if it has a face and just is named Gloria? 
End Quote 

That’s fair. Maybe the rock already had a name. 

I’d go with Iggy ...  And then people have to ask themself, is Iggy short for igneous rock? ... or is it a reference to the punk rock star Iggy Pop? 

Dan: 
Dustin added: 
Quote
Ken Roll. That way I can introduce it as my pet Rock Ken Roll
End Quote

That's such a good play on words. I think I’d go with something like Sir Reginald Granitewell III.

As a reminder, our silly polls mean absolutely nothing and are not scientifically valid. And patrons of all levels, including our free tiers, can take part. Head over to patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to take this week’s poll!

Outro

Dan:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember, 

Together:
Words belong to their users.