bet one's boots

present singular third person bets one's boots · participle present betting one's boots

1. idiomaticTo be absolutely sure of something; to be certain enough to wager an essential possession.

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

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

   2 more examples

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

   1913, D. H. Lawrence, chapter 12, in Sons and Lovers

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

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

   Synonyms: bet a dollar to a doughnut, bet one's bottom dollar, bet one's life, bet the farm, bet the ranch, bet the house