go belly-up
English
Etymology
From the tendency of fish to float upside down when they die.
Pronunciation
Audio (US): (file)
Verb
go belly-up (third-person singular simple present goes belly-up, present participle going belly-up, simple past went belly-up, past participle gone belly-up) (informal)
- To die.
- To fail or fold; especially, to be closed or shut down, or go out of business.
- I was sorry to hear that my favorite little restaurant went belly-up.
Synonyms
Translations
go bankrupt — see go bankrupt