“Go Belly Up” means for a company or plan to fail. It is informal and is especially common for business failure or a plan that collapses, so use a more neutral verb such as “fail” in formal contexts when needed.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionPhrases & Idioms
Quick answer
To fail, especially when talking informally about a company or plan.
Key details
Canonical FormGo Belly Up
Core Meaningfor a company or plan to fail
Further guidance
History Boundary
This guide explains documented current meaning and does not claim a single inventor, exact coinage date, or absolute first use without direct evidence.
Meaning
for a company or plan to fail
Usage Boundary
It is informal and is especially common for business failure or a plan that collapses, so use a more neutral verb such as “fail” in formal contexts when needed.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
“Go Out on a Limb” describes putting yourself in an exposed or risky position, including by taking an unpopular or uncertain stance. The guide keeps the two documented modern senses visible without asserting an unsupported first use.
“Heads-up” is informal advance warning, advice or information that lets someone prepare. Cambridge also records the short warning expression, so the guide separates the noun phrase from the direct exclamation instead of treating every “heads up” identically.
“Up in the air” describes a matter whose outcome or decision remains uncertain, often because other issues still have to be settled. This guide records the current dictionary meaning without asserting an exact origin date.
“A blessing in disguise” describes something that initially seems bad or unlucky but later produces a good result. Specialist history places the printed phrase in the mid-eighteenth century, while earlier texts may express similar ideas without proving the same idiom.
The informal idiom “not have a snowball’s chance in hell” describes a situation with essentially no chance of success. This guide limits the page to the current form, register, and meaning supported by Cambridge and does not add an unsupported origin story.
Actionable Indication of Interest is a current federal securities-regulation defined term. This guide preserves the rule-specific definition and boundaries instead of replacing it with informal market shorthand.
Administrative Data is a current Regulation NMS defined term for specified administrative, control, and technical messages in the market-data plan framework.
