Comments on: Fill your boots

By: Tania

Tania — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:51:07 +0000

It did mean once literally fill your boots, as in pirates bounty, or cavalrymen on the battle field wearing high boots would go out after the battle, and fill their boots with the ‘booty’ (not Beyonce’s booty, but pickings). But in Ireland where I am from, it loosley now means, do well, get plenty of what you want/need! Usually for free, as in you gain without loss, indulge, get as much of it as you can!

So if you said you were going off on holiday, I could say, hey fill yer boots man, as in get as much fun as you can etc. But if you said you were going out with a nice girl/boy that you really liked. You could say the same thing, ah fill yer boots man, meaning enjoy it etc. You can say it in ref to most things, when you wish someone well. You wouldn’t however say it in to someone going to a funeral or anything negative!

Hope that makes sense :D

By: george

george — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 01:27:12 +0000

well thanks for the various explanations – my interest in trying to find the meaning of this phrase was because one of my favourite English punk bands “Leatherface” that i saw in London (England) in 1990 their 1990 album (that i bought) is titled “FILL YOUR BOOTS” – & then i went and saw/heard ‘Leatherface’ play at the Arthouse in Melbourne Australia (where i now live) when they were touring their 2010 album “The Stormy Petrel” & got to speak with Frankie Norman Warsaw Stubbs singer guitarist & main man of Leatherface – so thanks for filling my boots with your words!

By: vic

vic — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:18:25 +0000

One theory carolean times has it that during Carolean times when cavalry troops wore thigh length boots, they were sometimes given leave to urinate in them if time was pressing. Consequently at informal drinking sessions they would not leave the table and urinate into them. This would seem to correspond with modern usage akin to help yourself to whatever is available.

By: Louise

Louise — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 18:55:58 +0000

Like Erick above, I’m from Canada and my father (also born long before 1990) uses this phrase occasionally. When we use it, it has the “go for it” meaning but usually in the context of “if you really want to, then go for it”, especially if he thinks the idea is kind of crazy but is willing to let me do it anyway. In my experience, it totally lacks any sort of implication that this is a duty or responsibility requiring manning up. Another phrase with exactly the same meaning to me is “knock yourself out.”

By: Erick

Erick — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 08:35:00 +0000

My father (born so long before 1990) uses this phrase occasionally. We live in Canada but his parents were from Britain. It is a combination of “Go for it” and “Take as much as you want.”

I liked, “It is possible . . . that “fill your boots” originally simply referred to putting on one’s boots in preparation for doing a task, and, by extension, to being equal to that task.” It has the former sense but lacks the take-as-you-please sense of the phrase.

As a Canadian whose cultural inheritance is British, I would definitely agree that this is a British-ism that is rather dated. I still use it, to great effect.

By: rik O'Dean

rik O'Dean — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:51:04 +0000

My Irish father often used the term
“Bet yer Boots” So….. what’s up
with that

By: Raoul

Raoul — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:22:01 +0000

I’ve always heard it as help yourself. The orgin seems to be based on sailor’s adventures, like pirates looting would not have any other way to carry what they’ve taken. Another: “to fill one’s boots”, when one is hanged the pant legs were tuck into the boots, at the point of execution the person evacuates and “fills their boots”.

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:44:40 +0000

Here in Australia I’ve heard it a few times and it has had nothing to do with getting a job done or any sense of responsibility, it’s been purely about saying “have as much as you want”.

By: ECS

ECS — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:15:23 +0000

Topi Linkala is right I think, this could explain the origin of the saying, fill your boots: fufil your role, makes sense as boots or shoes are common metaphor for a role (like “in his shoes”).

By: Win

Win — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:45:04 +0000

Means man-up and get it done.

By: Erik

Erik — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 06:53:58 +0000

There’s a Grimms Fairy tale where a man makes a deal with the Devil for as much gold as he can fit in his boot. But, the gentleman’s boot has a hole in the bottom of it so it doesn’t fill up.

By: Topi Linkala

Topi Linkala — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 20:57:32 +0000

In every case I’ve read or heard ‘fill your boots’ used it’s not have been just “Go for it!” or “Get up and get going!”, but with the added idea that you should do it, because it’s your job. So don’t twaddle, but fill your boots.