bubble under

Verb

bubble under (third-person singular simple present bubbles under, present participle bubbling under, simple past and past participle bubbled under)

1. (intransitive) To remain beneath a level.
   • The results bubbled under the limit.
2. (intransitive) To be in the background or margins of a phenomenon.
   • The Republicans were bubbling under in the area, waiting for an electoral break.
3. (intransitive) To be successful on a modest scale, without yet being fully established.
   • The band was still bubbling under then, but their fame was about to explode.
   • The record first happened a few years ago in Florida and had considerable sales. A year later, the record broke out again in Florida and again experienced considerable sales. Both times, it either made the chart or bubbled under.1971, Billboard, volume 83, number 13, page 31