BELOW THE BELT

adv. phr. 1. In the stomach; lower than is legal in boxing. He struck the other boy below the belt. 2. informal In an unfair or cowardly way; against the rules of sportsmanship or justice; unsportingly; wrongly. It was hitting below the belt for Mr. Jones's rival to tell people about a crime that Mr. Jones committed when he was a young boy. Pete told the students to vote against Harry because Harry was in a wheelchair and couldn't be a good class president, but the students thought Pete was hitting below the belt.