soft ribs
n.pl.— «“Canada has “soft ribs’” said Mr. Chen, 38, using a colloquialism that means it doesn’t have much armour around its sensitive state organs.» —“Canada called easy target for spies” by Colin Freeze Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada) June 6, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Maggie from Washington, D.C., heard a college friend from Eastern North Carolina and later a veterinarian referring to the panting of a dog as hassling. In the 19th century, the verb hussle was used in Southeast England to mean “wheeze or breathe...
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Bookshop|Amazon) had an earlier title: A Week with Willie the Worm. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Title” Here’s another book title that...