Meanings
- Australianot comparableWithout reserve, with no holds barred; totally, completely.
So Mike felt he had to jump in boots and all with this new article, and he used his own non-Anglo heritage to bolster his point.
2010, Peter Kocan, The Fable of All Our Lives, unnumbered page - not comparableUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see boots, and all.
So into the South Fork I dove, boots and all, the boots weren't too neat as they filled with water, but I made it to the log, went under the water, got hold of Jody's collar and started back towards the river bank.
2011, Gail Isaacson, My Incredible Animals, page 831 more example
He would scarcely desire to sleep in them, as was said of Suwarrow, the famous Russian general, who, even in time of peace, slept fully armed, boots and all, prepared for any emergency ; and who used to say that when he was lazy and wished to enjoy a comfortable sleep, he usually took off one spur.
1869 May 29, “A Soldier's Shoes”, in E. S. Dallas, editor, Once a Week: January-July 1869, page 435
Cite this entry
boots and all. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boots%20and%20all
“boots and all.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boots%20and%20all. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “boots and all,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boots%20and%20all.
Source: boots and all on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.