bet one's boots

English

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

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)

(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," New York Times (retrieved 19 Jan 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

Finnish: panna päänsä pantiksi
French: mettre sa main au feu (fr), mettre sa main à couper