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Gamboler Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

Stop on one's belly

What is the meaning of "to stop on one's belly"?

The complete sentence:

Wally, I'm sure that in thirty seconds he'll eat it. Only something with the body of a man, the soul of a rat and the brain of a dinosaur would think to stop in his belly at this early hour. Of course, don't get me wrong, I love all additives, especially fat ones, but he's some kind of Gargantua.

NOTE: Gargantua was a gigantic king noted for his great capacity for food and drink.
  

Top answer

A small correction: Wally, I'm sure that in thirty seconds he'll eat it. Only something with the body of a man, the soul of a rat and the brain of a dinosaur would think to stop on his belly at this early hour. Of course, don't get me wrong, I love all additives, especially fat ones, but he's some kind of Gargantua.

— Gamboler

  • A small correction: Wally, I'm sure that in thirty seconds he'll eat it.
  • Only something with the body of a man, the soul of a rat and the brain of a dinosaur would think to stop on his belly at this early hour.
  • Of course, don't get me wrong, I love all additives, especially fat ones, but he's some kind of Gargantua.
  • NOTE: Gargantua was a gigantic king noted for his great capacity for food and drink.
  • I think that it can mean that the fat man stopped at the restaurant because of his belly (meaning he was hungry as he always was), but I don't know if this is idiomatic.
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13 Answers
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A small correction:

Wally, I'm sure that in thirty seconds he'll eat it. Only something with the body of a man, the soul of a rat and the brain of a dinosaur would think to stop on his belly at this early hour. Of course, don't get me wrong, I love all additives, especially fat ones, but he's some kind of Gargantua.

NOTE: Gargantua was a gigantic king noted for his great c
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In the US, this passage would not be understandable, no matter what the context (I'm a native English speaker in the US). The imagery (e.g.: "the soul of a rat") is unfamiliar, and some of the usage is unfamiliar ("stop on his belly," "additives, especially fat ones," "Gargantua"). Although this is written in theoretically grammatical English, I can't understand it.
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I can't agree with you, Anonymous.
The passage is taken from a USA movie, the script was written by two American scriptwriters (Charles O'Neal, Richard Hill Wilkinson), all of the actors were American (Jim Bannon, George Macready, Janis Carter, etc.) The one who says this passage is Jim Bannon. Chicago accent, according to what a friend of mine says...
Gargantua, according to the dictionar
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Moreover, I forgot to tell you, Mr Anonymous, that the director of the movie was born in Chicago (Illinois).
Being the film a USA production, it should be perfectly understandable for you if it is true that you are an American citizen.

The language can seem a little outdated because it's an old movie, but I think it's okay.
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In the context you give, "stop on his belly" apparently means to stuff himself with food, or, more specifically, to stop somewhere and stuff himself with food. This is apparently late 1940's or early 1950's regional or military slang which has gone out of general use today. But the use of the word "additives" in the phrase "I love all additives, especially fat ones" makes no sense to me - again,
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AnonymousIn the context you give, "stop on his belly" apparently means to stuff himself with food, or, more specifically, to stop somewhere and stuff himself with food. This is apparently late 1940's or early 1950's regional or military slang which has gone out of general use today.
Interesting. Can you provide references? A link, maybe?

CJ
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"The soul of a rat" is certainly not a common phrase, but I have no trouble understanding it. Calling someone "some kind of Gargantua" is also understandable. "Stop on his belly" means nothing to me, and I see no reason to believe it means "to stop somewhere to fill his belly" -- the "on" just doesn't suggest that to me. Is there any reason to believe it's "40's or 50's regional or military sla
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The action of the movie takes place in 1944. So, the assumption of khoff can be correct.

The only word I could have misheard is 'stop'. What about if he says 'stuff in his belly'? Does it make more sense?
The other words of the sentence were confirmed yesterday by two natives.
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"To stuff his belly" would make the most sense. The "on" or "in" still bothers me.
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gambolerThe only word I could have misheard is 'stop'.
Are you sure?
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