Yellowbellies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. People who lack courage and show fear or reluctance when facing danger or difficulty
2. Individuals who demonstrate cowardice and shrink from bold or risky action
3. Those who exhibit timidity and refuse to confront challenging or threatening situations

Etymology: Medieval and early modern writers linked the body's humors to temperament, and bile was thought to make people irritable and fearful. The bile was yellow, so a yellow belly became a sign of cowardice. "Yellow" also carried the sense of fear in earlier English, which reinforced the association. Other English compounds work the same way: "lily-livered" pairs a timid temperament with a bodily organ thought to govern courage. The plural form is simply the regular plural of a compound noun made from "yellow" and "belly." The same word also names animals with yellowish undersides, such as certain sapsuckers, turtles, and fish, and it has been used as a nickname for people from particular U.S. states. Those uses are separate from the insult and are probably not related to it in origin.

Synonyms: cowards, weaklings

Antonyms: heroes, braves