boots

See also: Boots

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /buːts/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːts

Noun

boots

1. plural of boot
2. (Jamaica, slang, plural only) A condom.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:condom

   • 1980, Black Uhuru, "Abortion", Black Uhuru (re-released as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner in 1983):

     I said throw away the boots, I want my little youth

Noun

boots (plural bootses)

1. (dated) A servant at a hotel etc. who cleans and blacks the boots and shoes.
   • 1962, JW Goethe, translated by WH Auden and Elizabeth Mayer, Italian Journey, Penguin, published 1970, page 260:

     The old beggar ran up and down in his tattered toga, acting as both boots [translating Hausknecht] and waiter.

   • 2001, Jamie O'Neill, At Swim, Two Boys, New York: Scribner, →ISBN, page 411:

     The young man with Doyler, who indeed no longer worked at Lee's of Kingstown, but had advanced to a position of boots and bottle-washer at the Russell Hotel adjacent the Green, was looking uneasy. […] The boots was sure.

2. (UK, naval, slang) The ship in a fleet having the most junior captain.
   • 1705, The Life of William III, Late King of England, and Prince of Orange, page 334:

     […] he sent on the 22d. Vice-Admiral Rook into it, with several Men of War and Fire-Ships, besides the Boots of the Fleet, to endeavour to destroy them: […]

   • 2005, Frank Wade, A Midshipman's War, page 115:

     The captain of Hotspur was Lieutenant T. Herrick, the youngest commanding officer in all the destroyers, and says Hotspur was the “boots” of the fleet! Being the junior ship, she was given jobs no-one wanted.

Verb

boots

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of boot

Anagrams

• boost, botos

Jamaican Creole

Etymology 1

From English boot.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /buːts/
• Hyphenation: boots

Noun

boots (plural boots dem or bootss dem, quantified boots)

1. Alternative form of boot.
2. (slang) condom (male contraceptive)

   Me fling weh di boots cah me waan gi' you a baby.

   I got rid of the condom because I want to give you a baby.

   • 2014, Janelle James, Emotry: Self Expression (in English), page 32:

     I hear some of the lyrics "Yuh pum pum clean and ready,
     Suh mi dash weh di boots, And mi cum inna yuh belly
     Giddy up pon di cocky"
     
     Wha de rass.....? […] ”

     I listen to some of the lyrics, "Your pussy is clean and ready[/perfect]. So I throw away the condom and I cum in your belly. Ride my cock. Giddy up!" What the fuck? […]

Related terms

• boot

Etymology 2

From English boost.

Verb

boots

1. encourage, promote

   Mi nah boots no violence. ― I'm not promoting any violence.

   • 2012, Melville Cooke, “Story Of The Song: Boxing a musical contender”, in The Jamaica Gleaner‎^[1], archived from the original on 18 June 2021:

     “An mi nah boots no violence, but if it should go to one on one, if you put me an Beenie inna de ring, take off all we jewel and put we inna two boxing glove, mi kill him. No Rasta gyal cyaah fight de general. I don't wanna go there. […] ”

     I'm not promoting any violence, but if there's ever a face off, and you put Beenie and me in the ring, take off all our jewellery and have us put on boxing gloves, I'll kill him. A Rasta girl can't fight the general. Let's not go there. […]

References

• boots – jamaicans.com Jamaican Patois dictionary