under (one's) belt
1. In one's scope of experience. Once you get a few more major league games under your belt, you'll feel more comfortable. I'll feel much more comfortable letting you lead the team once you've had a few more years in the office under your belt.
2. Ingested or consumed. He should be less cranky after he gets some food under his belt.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
*under one's belt
1. Fig. eaten or drunk and in one's stomach. (Fig. on the image of swallowed food ending up under one's belt. *Typically: get something ~; have something ~.) I need to have something filling under my belt. I've had it with just soup. I want to get a nice juicy steak under my belt.
2. Fig. achieved; counted or scored. (Fig. on {2} *Typically: have something ~.) Minnie has over four hundred wins under his belt. This fighter pilot has over 20 kills under his belt.
3. Fig. learned; mastered. (Fig. on {2}. *Typically: get something ~.) Finally, she got good painting techniques under her belt. When I get the right procedures under my belt, I will be more efficient.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
under (one's) belt
In one's possession or experience: "By his mid-teens, Liszt had three years of intensive concertizing under his belt" (Musical Heritage Review).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.