Boot

A boot is a type of footwear which covers at least the foot and usually the ankle, and sometimes extends up to the knee or even the hip. They come in every imaginable variation of height, color, material and style. Most have a heel which is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece. Originally boots were made for working wear.

Boots of different kinds

Boots which are designed as protection from the elements may be made of a single closely-stitched piece (of leather, rubber, etc) to prevent the entry of water, mud or dirt through the gaps left between laces and tongue in other types of shoes. Simple waterproof gumboots are made in different length of uppers and, in extreme cases, thigh-boots called "waders" by anglers end at waist-level of the wearer.

Other types of boots are sturdy in nature, meant for protection in wilderness or industrial settings. Specialty boots have been made to temporarily protect steelworkers if they get caught in pools of molten metal; to protect chemical workers from a wide variety of chemical exposure; and there are insulated, inflatable, boots designed for walking in the Antarctic continent. However most work boots are "laceups" made from leather and shod with hobnails, and heel- and toe-plates. Such work boots (like the popular Dr. Martens) were adopted by skinheads and punks as part of their typical dress, and have migrated from there to more mainstream fashion, including women's wear.

Fashionable boots for women may have all the variations seen in other fashion footwear: tapered or spike heels, platform soles, pointed toes, zipper closures and the rest.

Specialty boots have been designed for many different types of sport, particularly Rugby football or soccer, riding, skiing and snowboarding, skating, and sporting in wet conditions.

Boots have their own devotees among shoe fetishists and foot fetishists.

Tall boots, such as those designed for military dress and horseback riding may have a tab, loop or handle at the top known as a bootstrap, allowing one to use fingers or a tool to provide better leverage in getting the boots on. A German legend about a boy lifting himself by his bootstraps into the air, allowing him to fly, has led to the word's metaphorical use in many different contexts; see bootstrapping and booting.

Boots in idiom

Boots, particularly those worn as protective footwear by workers (work boots) have a reputation for being as hard-wearing as their owners, hence the expression "tough as old boots".

A long established cliché of anglers, especially those who are inexperienced or angling in waters known to be poor for fish, is that of the "old boot", caught in place of the expected fish. This can be seen in many cartoons, parodies, etc., and is usually depicted dripping with weeds and with part of the sole detached, giving the impression of an open mouth.

Another fate of a discarded boot is in the construction of a musical instrument known as the "mendoza".

To "die with one's boots on" means to die from violence as opposed to from natural causes (to "die in bed"); hence Boot Hill as a popular name for Wild West cemeteries.

Boot camp a colloquial term for the initial training of new recruits enlisting in a military organization.

"Jackboots" are a general term for combat boots. Stormtroopers, skinheads, and other agents of authority or political strongarm tactics are typically referred to by their detractors as "jackbooted thugs." Authoritarian rule, either by hostile military forces, or by groups of armed intimidators, is imposed by "jackboot tactics."

The "boot", in British English, means the trunk of a car.

To "give someone the boot" means to kick them out (of a job, a club, etc.), either literally or figuratively.

To "put the boot in" means to kick someone especially hard, to add additional pain on top of an already hard situation.

"The boot is on the other foot now" means that a situation has become reversed -- a previous victor is now losing, for example.

"To boot" means "in addition to."

"To boot" means "to vomit." Used primarily by young American fraternity men.

"Boot" is also slang in many parts of America for an African-American, or negro.

Types of boots

• Australian boots
• Chelsea Boots
• Chukka boots
• Combat boots
  • Hobnail boots
  • Jump boots (paratrooper boots)
  • Tanker boots
  • Jungle boots
  • Cold weather boots
  • Jackboots
• Cowboy boots
• Doc Martens
• Go-go boots
• Gumboots (mainly workwear)
  • Hip boots (waders or fishing boots)
  • Wellington boots (rubber rain boots)
  • Galoshes (overshoes)
• Hessian boots
• Hiking boots
• Knee high boots
• Kinky boots
  • Thigh-high boots
• Lift boots
• Motorcycle boots
• Mukluks (dry-snow boots)
• Rigger boots
• Steel-toe boots (safety boots)
• Shearers moccasins
• Sport boots:
  • Football boots
  • Basketball boots
  • Hiking boots
  • Riding boots
    • Jockey's boots
  • Ski boots and Snowboard boots
  • Skates:
    • Ice skates
    • Figure skates
    • Roller skates
    • Inline skates
• Spats
• Ugg boots
• Wedge boots