The idiom "go belly up" means to fail or go bankrupt. It is often used to describe a business or financial situation that has collapsed or gone wrong.
The phrase comes from the image of a dead fish floating on its back in the water, with its belly facing up. This is a sign that the fish has died or is in distress.
For example, you might say "The company went belly up after they invested all their money in a risky venture." This means that the company failed and went bankrupt because of a bad business decision.
You can also use this idiom in a more general sense to describe any situation that has gone wrong or failed. For instance, you might say "My plans for the weekend went belly up when it started raining." This means that your plans were ruined because of the bad weather.
Overall, "go belly up" is a colorful and memorable way to describe a situation that has gone wrong or failed, and it is a common idiom in English.
• The project seemed promising at the beginning, but it went belly up when the team couldn't meet the deadline.
• My plan to save money for a new car went belly up when unexpected expenses came up.
• The company's new product failed in the market and caused it to go belly up.
• The small restaurant in my neighborhood went belly up due to the pandemic.
• The investment went belly up when the stock market crashed, causing the investors to lose everything.
• The politician's reputation went belly up after the scandal was exposed.