yellowbelly

[yel-oh-bel-ee] /ˈyɛl oʊˌbɛl i/
noun, plural yellowbellies.
1.
Slang. a person who is without courage, fortitude, or nerve; coward.
Origin
1790-1800; yellow + belly
British Dictionary definitions for yellow-belly

yellow-belly

noun (pl) -lies
1.
a slang word for coward
2.
(Austral) another name for callop
Derived Forms
yellow-bellied, adjective
Slang definitions & phrases for yellow-belly

yellow-belly

noun

A coward; a poltroon: He is a contemptible yellow-belly, scared of his own shadow

[1930+; probably a rhyming expansion of yellow; influenced by the early 1800s sense, ''a Mexican, esp a Mexican soldier,'' perhaps fr the color of their uniforms]