x.mehrdad  +  101188 Thu, 19 May 05 03:14 PM Hello, Would you mind to tell me, if these two expressions are synonyms? x.mehrdad Joined on Fri, Mar 4 2005 Full Member 186 Synonyms

	pieanne  +  101189 Thu, 19 May 05 03:20 PM Hello, cher ami! No, they're not: If something someone says is below the belt, it is cruel and unfair If you have an experience or a qualification under your belt, you have completed it successfully, and it may be useful to you in the future "under the belt" means "behind", so it can be in your belly, "below the belt" is in the parts of your body lower than your waist pieanne Joined on Thu, Jan 20 2005 South of France ...But I'm Belgian! Veteran Member 7,517 I'm glad to help, but I'm not a native! And please excuse my typos...

	x.mehrdad  +  101193 Thu, 19 May 05 03:38 PM Merci, Chere Amie, So you mean 'below the belt' is a sort of low hit, and 'Under the belt' means experience or a kind of 'vécu' as you say. Thank You. x.mehrdad

	pieanne  +  101195 Thu, 19 May 05 03:43 PM The explanations are from Cambridge, but yes, that's it, + of course the "real" references. i guess one could be paralyzed below the belt, or you could hide a golden coin under your belt! pieanne

	pieanne  +  101203 Thu, 19 May 05 04:07 PM No! You are? pieanne

	pieanne  +  101234 Thu, 19 May 05 06:17 PM I thought you were writing from Israel or near there (mind you, I'm a 0 in geography! so forgive me if I don't locate you accurately), which, of course, doesn't prevent you from being a Belgian! I'm glad to find a "compatriote", I feel MUCH sooo much more Belgian than French pieanne