Similar Terms and Synonyms
- Bite the dust 🦸
- Kick the bucket 🎺
- Hit the skids 🛹
- Go bust 💸
- Financial ruin 💣
Humorous Quotes
- “I wish my bank account would go belly-up with cash instead of slipping into fishy bankruptcy.” - Finny Wise
Related Proverbs
- “A drowning man will clutch at a straw.” - English Proverb
Literature and References
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller: This classic novel explores the myriad ways things can go belly-up, often to darkly comedic effect.
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck tackles the Dust Bowl era, recounting the tale of countless lives and businesses that went belly-up.
- Movie: The Big Short - This film dives deep into the financial collapse of 2008, where many businesses went belly-up due to the housing market meltdown.
- Song: Another One Bites The Dust by Queen pairs well with this idiom, as its rhythm and lyrics mirror the inevitability when things go wrong.
Inspirational Thought
“Embrace your belly-ups; sometimes, the only way to learn to swim is to first float along with the current.”
### Which phrase implies failure or bankruptcy?
- [x] Go belly-up
- [ ] Swim like a mermaid
- [ ] Cook in a double boiler
- [ ] Bloom like a rose
> **Explanation:** "Go belly-up" specifically means dying, going bankrupt, or otherwise failing, typically referencing a dead fish floating belly-up.
### Which of these idioms is about someone dying?
- [ ] Swimming upstream
- [ ] Breaking bread
- [x] Kicking the bucket
- [ ] Riding the wave
> **Explanation:** "Kicking the bucket" is an idiom that refers to someone dying. It's morbidly creative and commonly used in a variety of contexts.
### True or False: 'Go belly-up' can refer to businesses as well as people?
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** Absolutely true. While its origins lie in fish deaths, "go belly-up" has been widely used to describe failed businesses, ventures, and even critical mission failures.
### Which idiom is related to misfortune?
- [ ] Strike gold
- [ ] Sitting on a goldmine
- [x] Hit the skids
- [ ] Rolling in dough
> **Explanation:** "Hit the skids" is an idiom that signifies encountering misfortune or experiencing a decline.
### Choose the non-idiom:
- [ ] Go bust
- [x] Dance with glee
- [ ] Bite the dust
- [ ] Hit rock bottom
> **Explanation:** "Dance with glee" might be a delightful activity, but it’s not an idiom related to failure. The others are widely recognized idioms for failure or hardship.
Embrace the twist and turns of life!
Till next time, remember: Where one fish floats belly-up, another finds a new school to explore. Keep swimming!
