Pull the boots up

[Dan Goncharoff]

Telling someone to "pull up your boots and get to work" goes back to at
least the 19th century. Why do you think this construction is so odd?

DanG

On 6/14/2010 3:55 PM, victor steinbok wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       victor steinbok<aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Pull the boots up
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>
> This is not a particularly inspired observation, but it's bothered me
> since last night. During the press conference (Q&A, really), following
> the loss in the fifth game of the NBA finals, Kobe Bryant identified
> the goal for the remainder of the series--the team will just have to
> "pull the boots up and get to work". It struck me as an odd
> combination, although it's rather obvious what was intended.
>
> VS-)
>
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