My comments:
Under the belt is originally another way of saying in the stomach, descriptive of the image of swallowed food ending up in one’s belly.
Imagine the satisfied look of someone who’s been starving for some time having a full meal. How he’d have to loosen up his belt a bit to feel even more comfortable with himself.
Hence, as a metaphor, having something under one’s belt means one has gained or achieved something good.
Related stories:
Take something with a pinch of salt
本文僅代表作者本人觀點(diǎn),與本網(wǎng)立場(chǎng)無關(guān)。歡迎大家討論學(xué)術(shù)問題,尊重他人,禁止人身攻擊和發(fā)布一切違反國(guó)家現(xiàn)行法律法規(guī)的內(nèi)容。
About the author:
Zhang Xin(張欣) has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.