Hit Below the Belt.
English
idiom
To say or do something to someone that is very unfair or cruel.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To say or do something to someone that is very unfair or cruel.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To say or do something unfair, cruel, or outside the boundaries of acceptable behavior.
Hitting below the belt means making personal attacks or targeting someone's vulnerabilities in a way most people would consider wrong.
The phrase comes from boxing rules.
"Cross the Line"
—
Going beyond acceptable behavior generally, without the specific personal attack angle
"Low Blow"
—
A cruel or unfair attack — very similar, but hit below the belt is more figurative
"Hit Below the Belt"
—
Making an unfair, cruel, or personal attack that violates expected standards
Criticizing her work is fair, but mentioning her personal situation hit below the belt.
Agreed — that needs to be addressed separately.
I know I was angry — did I go too far?
That last comment hit below the belt. You should apologize.
He brought up her old mistakes in front of everyone.
That's hitting below the belt. Completely not okay.
