the order of the boot
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
"The sack"; notice of dismissal from one's employment. To go to bed in his boots. To be very tipsy.
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 “the order of the boot” mean?
"The sack"; notice of dismissal from one's employment. To go to bed in his boots. To be very tipsy.
Is “the order of the boot” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.