soft underbellies
Exposed tender areas
The soft underbelly is the vulnerable underside of an animal, where flesh is unprotected by shell, hide, or bone.
The phrase appears almost exclusively in figurative use, referring to a weak or undefended point in something otherwise formidable: The investigators found the soft underbelly of the corporation's finances.
Churchill famously called Italy the "soft underbelly of Europe" during World War II, suggesting it was the Axis powers' most vulnerable point of attack.
- penetrationEntry into something
- vulnerabilityOpenness to harm
- weaknessDeficiency in force
- Achilles' heelCritical personal weakness
- fatal flawRuinous character defect
chink in the armor · defenselessness · strategy · weak spot · susceptibility · stomachs · exposure · exposed flank · sensitivity · fragility · probing · undermining · exploitation · gaps · power vacuum · warfare · tactics · targeting
soft underbelliesfortified positions
Defensively reinforced military locations
strongholds · bastions · fortresses · bulwarks · ramparts
soft underbelliesstrong points
Abilities one excels in
power bases · competitive advantages · force multipliers · strategic assets · redoubts
soft, soften, softly, softness, softer, softest, softened, softening, under