Brewer's: Boots

Seven-leagued boots. The boots worn by the giant in the fairy tale, called The Seven-leagued Boots. These boots would stride over seven leagues at a pace.

Boots

(an instrument of torture). They were made of four pieces of narrow board nailed together, of a competent length to fit the leg. The leg being placed therein, wedges were inserted till the sufferer confessed or fainted.

“All your empirics could never do the like cure upon the gout as the rack in England or your Scotch boots.” —Marston: The Malcontent.

Boots

The youngest bishop of the House of Lords, whose duty it is to read prayers; so called because he walks into the house in a dead man's shoes or boots, i.e. he was not in the house till some bishop there died, and left a vacancy.

Boots

To go to bed in his boots. To be very tipsy.

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