ventre à terre
/ˌvɒ̃tr(ə) ɑː ˈtɛː
/ /vɑ̃tʀ a tɛʀ/adverb
At full speed (used especially of a horse’s movement or its representation in painting).He arrives ventre à terre, only to have her die in his arms....
- This is a romance with all the right stuff: passionate love and, best of all, a hero who rides ventre à terre to save his beloved.
Origin
French, literally '(with) belly to the ground'.