bet one's boots en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To be absolutely sure of something; to be certain enough to wager an essential possession.
"If a man tells you he's a gentleman you can bet your boots he isn't," he retorted.
1915, William Somerset Maugham, chapter 27, in Of Human Bondage:"You see," he said, "she never knew the fearful importance of marriage . . . and treated him badly, I'll bet my boots."
1913, D. H. Lawrence, chapter 12, in Sons and Lovers:Lord Sutherland sees tuition fees in Scotland as inevitable. “Only you can bet your boots they won't call it a fee,” he said.
2011 April 24, D. D. Guttenplan, “Scotland Wrestles With Question of Tuition Fees”, in New York Times, retrieved 19 Jan 2013:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bet one's boots | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| bet one's boots | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| bets one's boots | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| betting one's boots | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Synonyms
bet the house · bet the farm · bet one's bottom dollar · bet the ranch · bet a dollar to a doughnut · bet one's life
Translations (9)
fr mettre sa main au feu (Translations) · fi panna päänsä pantiksi (Translations) · es apostarse la cabeza (Translations) · pl stawiać dolary przeciwko orzechom (Translations) · de für etwas die Hand ins Feuer legen (Translations) · pt colocar sua mão no fogo (Translations) · fr mettre sa main à couper (Translations) · pt pôr sua mão no fogo (Translations) · de auf etwas Gift nehmen können (Translations)