Yellow-belly

    胆小鬼     

    Yellow是“黄色的”，belly是“肚子”。Yellow-belly是什么意思呢？请看对话：

    A: John and his brother are cycling to Tibet this summer vacation.

    B: Which brother?

    A: Of course the younger one. His elder brother is a yellow-belly, who won't even take the risk flying to Lhasa to meet with them.

    Note: The term is basically an American term, but began life in England in the late 18th century as a mildly derogatory nickname. The U.S. usage initially applied specifically to Mexicans, who were soon to be at war with the United States. Whether the "yellow" reference was a racist allusion to skin color, ill-health, or to a likening to snakes and lizards isn't clear. Whatever the origin, it means "coward" in American English, having nothing to do with the earlier English nickname.