to be yellow-bellied
Idiom Definition:
"to be yellow-bellied"
to be a coward
to not be brave
This man is literally yellow-bellied. - - - - -> 
Idiom Scenario 1:
Jean and Sylvia are homosexual lovers. They have been together for more than ten years. They have never displayed affection in public. They have never told anyone about their sexualities because they are afraid of the reactions of their friends, families and coworkers. You could say that they are...
yellow-bellied.
Idiom Scenario 2:
Kim and Stacey are bicycling around their neighborhood when they discover a group of their friends. The friends have erected a bicycle jump. The jump is about one half a meter tall. Kim and Stacey stop to watch some of the boys pedalling their bicycles very fast and flying ten meters through the air after taking the jump. One of the boys asks Kim to try the jump. Kim refuses. The boy taunts Kim...
"What's the matter? Are you yellow-bellied?"
Idiom Scenario 3:
(Sometimes it is necessary to refresh your browser to see the news stories)
Which of these news stories is actually about:
- being a coward? (idiomatic)
- an actual yellow abdomen area? (literal)
Newsfeed supplied by: Google News
Alternate News Feed - (opens in a new tab)
Idiom Usage:
This idiom is quite informal. Sometimes this idiom is shortened to just "yellow".
"Yellow-bellied" can also be used as an adjective. For example:
"He is a yellow-bellied thief!"
Gerund Form of the Idiom:
Being yellow-bellied means you run away or avoid frightening situations.
Idiom Conjugations:
to be yellow-bellied
| PERSON | idiom in the positive | idiom in the negative | idiom as a question |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-singular (I) | I am yellow-bellied if I am a coward. |
I am not yellow-bellied unless I am a coward. |
Am I yellow-bellied if I am a coward? |
| Second-singular (you) | You are yellow-bellied if you run away from a fight. |
You are not yellow-bellied if you run away from a fight. |
Are you yellow-bellied if you run away from a fight? |
| Third-singular (he) | He is yellow-bellied because he will not stand up to his boss. |
He is not yellow-bellied because he will not stand up to his boss. |
Is he yellow-bellied because he will not stand up to his boss? |
| Third-singular (she) | She is yellow-bellied when she has many cavities but is too afraid to see a dentist. |
She is not yellow-bellied unless she has many cavities but is too afraid to see a dentist. |
Is she yellow-bellied when she has many cavities but is too afraid to see a dentist? |
| Third-singular (it) | not applicable |
not applicable |
not applicable |
| First-plural (we) | We are yellow-bellied if we turn down a fair challenge because of fear. |
We are not yellow-bellied unless we turn down a fair challenge because of fear. |
Are we yellow-bellied if we turn down a fair challenge because of fear? |
| Second-plural (you all) | You (all) are yellow-bellied because you (all) hide behind your mothers. |
You (all) are not yellow-bellied because you (all) hide behind your mothers. |
Are you (all) yellow-bellied because you (all) hide behind your mothers? |
| Third-plural (they) | They are yellow-bellied when they are too cowardly to confront their bullies. |
They are not yellow-bellied unless they are too cowardly to confront their bullies. |
Are they yellow-bellied when they are too cowardly to confront their bullies? |
| PERSON | idiom in the positive | idiom in the negative | idiom as a question |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-singular (I) | I am being yellow-bellied right now. |
I am not being yellow-bellied right now. |
Am I being yellow-bellied right now? |
| Second-singular (you) | You are being yellow-bellied right now. |
You are not being yellow-bellied right now. |
Are you being yellow-bellied right now? |
| Third-singular (he) | He is being yellow-bellied right now. |
He is not being yellow-bellied right now. |
Is he being yellow-bellied right now? |
| Third-singular (she) | She is being yellow-bellied right now. |
She is not being yellow-bellied right now. |
Is she being yellow-bellied right now? |
| Third-singular (it) | not applicable |
not applicable |
not applicable |
| First-plural (we) | We are being yellow-bellied right now. |
We are not being yellow-bellied right now. |
Are we being yellow-bellied right now? |
| Second-plural (you all) | You (all) are being yellow-bellied right now. |
You are (all) not being yellow-bellied right now. |
Are you (all) being yellow-bellied right now? |
| Third-plural (they) | They are being yellow-bellied right now. |
They are not being yellow-bellied right now. |
Are they being yellow-bellied right now? |
| PERSON | idiom in the positive | idiom in the negative | idiom as a question |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-singular (I) | I have been yellow-bellied a few times. |
I have never been yellow-bellied. |
Have I been yellow-bellied a few times? |
| Second-singular (you) | You have been yellow-bellied a few times. |
You have never been yellow-bellied. |
Have you been yellow-bellied a few times? |
| Third-singular (he) | He has been yellow-bellied a few times. |
He has never been yellow-bellied. |
Has he been yellow-bellied a few times? |
| Third-singular (she) | She has been yellow-bellied a few times. |
She has never been yellow-bellied. |
Has she been yellow-bellied a few times? |
| Third-singular (it) | not applicable |
not applicable |
not applicable |
| First-plural (we) | We have been yellow-bellied a few times. |
We have never been yellow-bellied. |
Have we been yellow-bellied a few times? |
| Second-plural (you all) | You (all) have been yellow-bellied a few times. |
You (all) have never been yellow-bellied. |
Have you (all) been yellow-bellied a few times? |
| Third-plural (they) | They have been yellow-bellied a few times. |
They have never been yellow-bellied. |
Have they been yellow-bellied a few times? |
| Not | possible | in this | tense. |
|---|
to be yellow-bellied
| PERSON | idiom in the positive | idiom in the negative | idiom as a question |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-singular (I) | I was yellow-bellied yesterday. |
I was not yellow-bellied yesterday. |
Was I yellow-bellied yesterday? |
| Second-singular (you) | You were yellow-bellied yesterday. |
You were not yellow-bellied yesterday. |
Were you yellow-bellied yesterday? |
| Third-singular (he) | He was yellow-bellied yesterday. |
He was not yellow-bellied yesterday. |
Was he yellow-bellied yesterday? |
| Third-singular (she) | She was yellow-bellied yesterday. |
She was not yellow-bellied yesterday. |
Was she yellow-bellied yesterday? |
| Third-singular (it) | not applicable |
not applicable |
not applicable |
| First-plural (we) | We were yellow-bellied yesterday. |
We were not yellow-bellied yesterday. |
Were we yellow-bellied yesterday? |
| Second-plural (you all) | You (all) were yellow-bellied yesterday. |
You (all) were not yellow-bellied yesterday. |
Were you (all) yellow-bellied yesterday? |
| Third-plural (they) | They were yellow-bellied yesterday. |
They were not yellow-bellied yesterday. |
Were they yellow-bellied yesterday? |
| PERSON | idiom in the positive | idiom in the negative | idiom as a question |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-singular (I) | I was being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
I was not being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
Was I being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation? |
| Second-singular (you) | You were being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
You were not being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
Were you being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation? |
| Third-singular (he) | He was being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
He was not being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
Was he being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation? |
| Third-singular (she) | She was being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
She was not being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
Was she being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation? |
| Third-singular (it) | not applicable |
not applicable |
not applicable |
| First-plural (we) | We were being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
We were not being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
Were we being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation? |
| Second-plural (you all) | You (all) were being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
You (all) were not being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
Were you (all) being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation? |
| Third-plural (they) | They were being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
They were not being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation. |
Were they being yellow bellied during yesterday's confrontation? |
| PERSON | idiom in the positive | idiom in the negative | idiom as a question |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-singular (I) | I had been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
I had not been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
Had I been yellow-bellied before the meeting began? |
| Second-singular (you) | You had been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
You had not been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
Had you been yellow-bellied before the meeting began? |
| Third-singular (he) | He had been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
He had not been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
Had he been yellow-bellied before the meeting began? |
| Third-singular (she) | She had been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
She had not been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
Had she been yellow-bellied before the meeting began? |
| Third-singular (it) | not applicable |
not applicable |
not applicable |
| First-plural (we) | We had been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
We had not been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
Had we been yellow-bellied before the meeting began? |
| Second-plural (you all) | You (all) had been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
You (all) had not been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
Had you (all) been yellow-bellied before the meeting began? |
| Third-plural (they) | They had been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
They had not been yellow-bellied before the meeting began. |
Had they been yellow-bellied before the meeting began? |
| Not | possible | in this | tense. |
|---|
to be yellow-bellied
| PERSON | idiom in the positive | idiom in the negative | idiom as a question |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-singular (I) | I will be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. I am going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
I will not be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. I am not going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
Will I be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? Am I going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? |
| Second-singular (you) | You will be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. You are going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
You will not be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. You are not going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
Will you be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? Are you going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? |
| Third-singular (he) | He will be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. He is going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
He will not be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. He is not going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
Will he be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? Is he going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? |
| Third-singular (she) | She will be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. She is going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
She will not be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. She is not going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
Will she be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? Is she going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? |
| Third-singular (it) | not applicable |
not applicable |
not applicable |
| First-plural (we) | We will be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. We are going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
We will not be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. We are not going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
Will we be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? Are we going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? |
| Second-plural (you all) | You (all) will be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. You (all) are going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
You (all) will not be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. You (all) are not going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
Will you (all) be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? Are you (all) going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? |
| Third-plural (they) | They will be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. They are going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
They will not be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. They are not going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins. |
Will they be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? Are they going to be yellow-bellied until the appointment begins? |
| Not | possible | in this | tense. |
|---|
| PERSON | idiom in the positive | idiom in the negative | idiom as a question |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-singular (I) | I will have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. I am going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
I will not have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. I am not going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
Will I have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? Am I going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? |
| Second-singular (you) | You will have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. You are going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
You will not have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. You are not going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
Will you have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? Are you going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? |
| Third-singular (he) | He will have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. He is going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
He will not have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. He is not going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
Will he have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? Is he going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? |
| Third-singular (she) | She will have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. She is going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
She will not have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. She is not going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
Will she have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? Is she going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? |
| Third-singular (it) | not applicable |
not applicable |
not applicable |
| First-plural (we) | We will have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. We are going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
We will not have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. We are not going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
Will we have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? Are we going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? |
| Second-plural (you all) | You (all) will have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. You (all) are going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
You (all) will not have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. You (all) are not going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
Will you (all) have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? Are you (all) going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered?
|
| Third-plural (they) | They will have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. They are going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
They will not have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. They are not going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered. |
Will they have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? Are they going to have been yellow-bellied many times before the fear is conquered? |
| Not | possible | in this | tense. |
|---|
