An archaic British idiom for someone who is out of breath or winded, comparing the human lungs to a damaged bellows that can no longer pump air properly. Essentially obsolete today and survives mainly in historical literature and phrase collections.
After sprinting up the hill he arrived at the door completely bellows to mend, unable to speak for a full minute.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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(UK, slang, obsolete) out of breath.
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