Which definition do you accept for the word?
1. A weak point of a country, society, etc.
2. Things that unpleasant about a place, country, etc. that are kept hidden
The first one is actually included in the second, but the problem is that it's INCLUDED in it; they are not the same, yet I've seen both.
The metaphor for seaminess is outright unjust- classical arts can not have enough of the underbelly, not to mention where babies come from.
The 2 senses are quite distinct, weakness and seaminess, though can be connected.
Come to that, Happy New Year! 🙂
This is my gut reaction. I did do a gut check, looking it up in dictionaries, but it is always a bit suspect when my visceral notions are confirmed by research.
When underbelly is used literally, (e.g. of an animal) it means a weak spot, or simply refers to that area of the anatomy. If it is used figuratively (e.g. of a people, a locale, a society, a corporation), it means something dirty and/or hidden.
I'm not sure why there would be this change in connotation when used figuratively. But underbelly used figuratively has strong pejorative tones. When under is not literal, it often conveys a negative nuance. perhaps the under- influences the figurative meaning.
If I want to use an anatomical metaphor for a weak spot, I would use Achilles' heel.
Last night on the season 3 premier of Downton Abbey, I heard the use of underbelly in a figurative sense clearly with the primary meaning of a weak spot. It lacked the connotation of something sordid. In this case, the use is in reference to the Grantham family.
“She's like a homing pigeon,†bemoans Countess Grantham. “She finds our underbelly every time.â€
Is that because it is British English? Because it is period language? Or because I am flat wrong?