“Boots” (botas) you may know. You may have a pair of boots (un par de botas) for winter walks in Tenerife. Here the focus is on “boots” as used in idioms (modismos).
Examine these:
- Mr. Sanchez should “be given the boot” (…debería ser despedido). In other words, he should be “sacked”.
- Some people die with their boots on (= morir con las botas puestas). Someone who dies with his boots on, dies when he is still working (meaning not retired). It is likely that Queen Elizabeth, the Queen of Great Britain, will die with her boots on.
- Mr. Trump was trembling in his boots when he saw the final election results (…estaba temblando las piernas). In other words he was shaking. Some mortals said that Mr. Trump was “too big for his boots”. This means that he thought he was more important than he really was. Literally translated this is “él es demasiado grande para sus botas” but perhaps you would say “él tiene muchos humos”.
So big boots for winter walking, and sometimes you may have to give someone the boot, or perhaps you might die with your boots on. Who knows?
