bet one's boots

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

bet one's boots (third-person singular simple present bets one's boots, present participle betting one's boots, simple past and past participle bet one's boots)

1. (idiomatic) To be absolutely sure of something; to be certain enough to wager an essential possession.
   • 1913, D. H. Lawrence, chapter 12, in Sons and Lovers:

     "You see," he said, "she never knew the fearful importance of marriage . . . and treated him badly, I'll bet my boots."

   • 1915, William Somerset Maugham, chapter 27, in Of Human Bondage:

     "If a man tells you he's a gentleman you can bet your boots he isn't," he retorted.

   • 2011 April 24, D. D. Guttenplan, “Scotland Wrestles With Question of Tuition Fees”, in New York Times, retrieved 19 January 2013:

     Lord Sutherland sees tuition fees in Scotland as inevitable. “Only you can bet your boots they won't call it a fee,” he said.

Synonyms

• bet a dollar to a doughnut, bet one's bottom dollar, bet the farm

Translations

Translations

• Finnish: panna päänsä pantiksi
• French: mettre sa main au feu (fr), mettre sa main à couper
• German: auf etwas Gift nehmen können (de), für etwas die Hand ins Feuer legen (de)
• Polish: stawiać dolary przeciwko orzechom (pl) impf