boot and saddle
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The order to cavalry for mounting. It is a corruption of the Fr. boute selley put on the saddle, and has nothing to do with boots.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “boot and saddle” mean?
The order to cavalry for mounting. It is a corruption of the Fr. boute selley put on the saddle, and has nothing to do with boots.
Is “boot and saddle” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.