underbelly
/ˈʌndəbɛli
/noun (plural underbellies)
1The soft underside or abdomen of an animal.Color is variable and can range from jet black dorsally with a lighter underbelly to a uniform light gray....
- The most common color is dark brown - slightly brighter on the underbelly than the dorsal surface.
- Her body was so perfectly counter-shaded in the soft starlight that even the pure white of her underbelly merged into the picture.
1.1An area vulnerable to attack: these multinationals have a soft underbelly...
- Her questions were quick as a flash, like a salesman's flow chart, until she got the punters vulnerable underbelly.
- The world is now adopting open standards, which leaves their vast underbelly vulnerable.
- When it comes to competitive production, the advent of the free trade area has exposed the manufacturers' underbelly again.
1.2A hidden unpleasant or criminal part of society: the dark underbelly of a ghetto...
- In order to satisfy Kip's debt to society's dark underbelly, Raines must come out of retirement and steal 50 cars in three days.
- One by one, its children learn of their society's dark underbelly and so become adults.
- You work your way through the criminal underbelly of a city, jacking cars and committing all kinds of felonies as you make your way to the top.