Hit Below the Belt

A real boxing rule, long before it was a metaphor. Restrictions on hitting an opponent below the waist go back to boxer Jack Broughton's 1743 rules for the sport, and were formalised further by the Marquess of Queensberry Rules of 1867, which limited legal punches to the head and upper body. The earliest known figurative use in print dates to 1832, and by the late 19th century, "hitting below the belt" had become an established way to describe any underhanded, dishonourable tactic, in an argument, a negotiation, or anywhere else.