Boot
A boot is a type of shoe that that covers at least the foot and the ankle and sometimes extends up to the knee. Most have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece.
Different kinds of boots
Boots designed for 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 the laces and the tongue in other types of shoes. Simple waterproof gumboots are made in different lengths of uppers, and, in extreme cases, thigh-boots called "waders" used by anglers end at the waist-level of the wearer.
Other types of boots are sturdy in nature, meant for protection in wilderness or industrial settings. Speciality 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; formerly they were usually shod with hobnails and heel- and toe-plates, but now usually with a thick rubber sole, and often with steel toecaps. Work boots (like the popular Dr. Martens) were adopted by skinheads and punks as part of their typical dress and have migrated to more mainstream fashion, including women's wear.
Fashionable boots for females may have all the variations seen in other fashion footwear: tapered or spike heels, platform soles, pointed toes, zipper closures and the like.
Generally boots became rare towards the end of the 20th century. Today, they are becoming more and more popular -- especially men's and women's boots that have a long bootleg.
Specialty boots have been designed for many different types of sports, particularly rugby, football and 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 commonly used simile "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.
- 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 and New Zealand English, refers to the part of a car termed the "trunk" in American English.
- 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" derives from kicking someone when they are down, meaning 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.
- "Boot" also became a command in early computing, to mean putting a program into the memory. It's still used today.
Types of boots
A type of boot can fit into more than one of these categories, and may therefor be mentioned in more than one category
Styles
- Chelsea Boots
- Cowboy boots
- Go-go boots
- Hessian boots
- Mukluks (dry-snow boots)
- Rigger boots
- Vlahboots
- Wellington boots
Sorts
- Lift boots
- Shearers moccasins
Sport boots
- Football boots
- Hiking boots
- Motorcycle boots
- Engineer boots
- Harness boots
- Racing boots
- Touring boots
- Motocross boots
- Motorcycle cop boots
- Mountaineering boots
- Riding boots
- Cowboy boots
- Chelsea Boots
- Jockey's boots
- Ski boots and Snowboard boots
- Skates:
- Ice skates
- Figure skates
- Roller skates
- Inline skates
Work boots
- Australian boots
- Combat boots
- Hobnail boots
- Jump boots (paratrooper boots)
- Tanker boots
- Jungle boots
- Cold weather boots
- Jackboots
- Cowboy boots
- Gumboots (mainly workwear)
- Hip boots (waders or fishing boots)
- Wellington boots (rubber or farmer boots)
- Galoshes (overshoes)
- Firefighting boots
- Lineman boots
- Logger boots
- Rigger boots
- Steel-toe boots (safety boots)
See also
- Boot fetish
- Shoe fetishism
- Kinky boots
- List of boots in media and popular culture
- Boot cut
External links