Delhi belly
Digestive illness or diarrhea, especially if suffered by a visitor to India.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I caught a bad case of Delhi belly after eating at that market.”
“My brother has Delhi belly and cannot leave the bathroom today.”
“Does this spicy curry give you Delhi belly?”
“Many travelers worry about getting Delhi belly, so they stick to bottled water and cooked food.”
“You should pack some basic medicine in your suitcase just in case you suffer from Delhi belly during your first week abroad.”
“The tour guide warned us that washing fruit in tap water is a common way to get Delhi belly.”
“Despite his careful efforts to avoid street food, he spent the final days of his trip confined to his hotel room with a severe case of Delhi belly.”
Attested as a twentieth-century coinage, the term originates from the gastrointestinal distress frequently experienced by foreign travellers visiting India. The city of Delhi was selected for the name primarily to facilitate a rhyme with belly, rather than to specify the exact site of the affliction.
Last updated August 10, 2026