[Ads-l] Insult: Your mother wears army boots (Your mother, Yo momma)
Jonathan Lighter
00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Tue Mar 24 11:53:56 UTC 2026
As I heard it ca1962, it was "combat boots."
JL
On Tue, Mar 24, 2026 at 3:03 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <
00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> Peter Morris wrote:
> > Does the story answer why she wears them? I'm curious.
> >
> > And if she is wearing them for a disreputable reason, it might explain
> > the origin of the insult. Maybe. Perhaps.
>
> The citation I presented from the "Oregon Daily Journal" was dated
> August 26, 1947. "The Casino" was published after this date in 1948.
> However, "The Casino" appears to be a collection of short stories. The
> reference to "army boots" appeared in a short story titled "The Miss".
> I am not sure when "The Miss" was originally published.
>
> The preface of the 2004 reprint of "The Casino" was written by
> Bonham's daughter Cary Bazalgette who suggested that the "army boots"
> signaled sexuality.
>
> Date: 2004 (Reprint of 1948 book, but preface is from 2004)
> Book Title: The Casino
> Author: Margaret Bonham
> Section: Preface by Cary Bazalgette
> Quote Page xiii
> Publisher: Persephone Books, London
> Database: Internet Archive
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Another arena for attitudinal struggle is - though this is never made
> explicit - between gay women and straight. Army Boots in 'The Miss'
> and Miss Howell in 'The Blue Vase' are caricature dykes, but Emma in
> 'Miss King' is beautiful and wise as well as tough and tweedy. The
> issue is not their sexuality, however, but their ability to be
> brutally frank about issues that the more bourgeois characters quail
> at.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Interpretations for the "your mother wears army boots" include the
> following possibilities: your mother is unrefined, masculine,
> impoverished, lesbian, or a prostitute associated with soldiers.
>
> On Thu, Mar 19, 2026 at 3:36 AM mr_peter_morris at outlook.com
> <mr_peter_morris at outlook.com> wrote:
> >
> > Does the story answer why she wears them? I'm curious.
> >
> > And if she is wearing them for a disreputable reason, it might explain
> > the origin of the insult. Maybe. Perhaps.
> >
> >
> > ------ Original Message ------
> > From "ADSGarson O'Toole"
> > <00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Date 19/03/2026 03:24:27
> > Subject Re: Insult: Your mother wears army boots (Your mother, Yo momma)
> >
> > >Thanks for searching, Peter. I am not sure, but the phrase with "army
> > >boots" does not seem to be an insult.
> > >
> > >Date: 2004 (First published 1948 by Phoenix House)
> > >Book Title: The Casino
> > >Author: Margaret Bonham
> > >Chapter: The Miss
> > >Start Page 129, Quote Page 139
> > >Publisher: Persephone Books, London
> > >Database: Internet Archive
> > >
> > >[Begin excerpt]
> > >Lucy was so engrossed in wondering why the maid was unwelcome (most
> > >people being only too pleased if their general helps got in
> > >unaccompanied and cold sober by the small hours), why it was necessary
> > >to insist she wouldn’t burst into sitting-rooms, and why she wore Army
> > >boots, that she found her glass filled up before she could muster any
> > >excuse.
> > >[End excerpt]
> > >
> > >Garson
> > >
> > >On Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 11:07 PM mr_peter_morris at outlook.com
> > ><mr_peter_morris at outlook.com> wrote:
> > >>
> > >>
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Casino/QFAJAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22+wore+army+boots%22&dq=%22+wore+army+boots%22&printsec=frontcover
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> " ... and why she wore Army boots ..."
> > >>
> > >> Appears to be from 1948. Seeing the full text might give some
> > >> indication as to the meaning and origin. Possibly.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> ------ Original Message ------
> > >> From "ADSGarson O'Toole"
> > >> <00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > >> To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > >> Date 18/03/2026 17:33:30
> > >> Subject Re: Insult: Your mother wears army boots (Your mother, Yo
> momma)
> > >>
> > >> >Here is an instance from the family "your mother wears army shoes /
> > >> >army boots / combat boots" on August 16, 1947. This slightly
> antedates
> > >> >the September 25, 1947 instance presented on Barry Popik's website.
> > >> >
> > >> >Date: August 26, 1947
> > >> >Newspaper: Oregon Daily Journal
> > >> >Newspaper Location: Portland, Oregon
> > >> >Article: Mill Ends: Something New in Insults
> > >> >Author: Dick Fagan
> > >> >Section 2, Quote Page 1, Column 1
> > >> >Database: Newspapers.com
> > >> >
> > >> >
> https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregon-daily-journal-armyshoes/193663074/
> > >> >
> > >> >[Begin excerpt]
> > >> >Two kids in Guilds Lake were on the outs the other day, and
> exchanging
> > >> >insults at a rapid pace. They worked up to a pitch, and then the
> > >> >littlest, shaver comes up with his prime insult: "Oh, your mother
> > >> >wears army shoes!
> > >> >[End excerpt]
> > >> >
> > >> >Garson
> > >> >
> > >> >On Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 10:16 AM ADSGarson O'Toole
> > >> ><adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >> >>
> > >> >> In 2024 the radio show of Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, "A
> Way
> > >> >> with Words", discussed the following phrase. Here are three
> versions:
> > >> >>
> > >> >> Your mother wears combat boots
> > >> >> Your mother wears army boots
> > >> >> Your mother wears army shoes
> > >> >>
> > >> >> [Begin excerpt from "A Way with Words" website]
> > >> >> The expressions your mother wears combat boots and your mother
> wears
> > >> >> army boots descend from the African-American tradition of the
> Dozens,
> > >> >> also known as sounding or capping or snapping, where people try
> to top
> > >> >> each other's insults.
> > >> >> [End excerpt from "A Way with Words" website]
> > >> >>
> > >> >> Here a link to the audio excerpt:
> > >> >> Date: December 22, 2024
> > >> >>https://waywordradio.org/your-mother-wears-combat-boots/
> > >> >>
> > >> >> Barry Popik's website has three pertinent entries. The earliest
> > >> >> citation dated May 1, 1948 contains the phrase "Aw your mother
> wears
> > >> >> army boots.". Here is a link to the clipping from "The Gazette"
> of
> > >> >> Montreal, Canada:
> > >> >>
> https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-gazette-your-mother-wears-army-boot/33382473/
> > >> >>
> > >> >> “Your mother wears army boots!” (insult)
> > >> >>https://barrypopik.com/blog/your_mother_wears_army_boots
> > >> >>
> > >> >> “Your mother wears army shoes!” (insult)
> > >> >>https://barrypopik.com/blog/your_mother_wears_army_shoes
> > >> >>
> > >> >> “Your mother wears combat boots!” (insult)
> > >> >>https://barrypopik.com/blog/your_mother_wears_combat
> > >> >>
> > >> >> The phrase "Your mother" by itself can reference the entire
> notion of
> > >> >> an insult contest. The phrase "Your mother" can also function as
> a
> > >> >> challenge as indicated in John Dollard's 1939 article titled "The
> > >> >> Dozens: Dialectic of Insult". Dollard's important article is
> available
> > >> >> via JSTOR:
> > >> >>https://www.jstor.org/stable/26301143
> > >> >>
> > >> >> [Begin excerpt]
> > >> >> ... a simple reference to "your ma" or "your mother" was a
> fighting
> > >> >> challenge. The woman herself did not know why one had to fight
> when
> > >> >> she heard this but did know that fight one must. Perhaps the
> > >> >> repressive influence of class and school had elided from
> expression
> > >> >> the rest of the Dozens pattern, and we have in the condensed
> > >> >> expression a sort of stump of the full behavior structure.
> > >> >> [End excerpt]
> > >> >>
> > >> >> Garson
> > >> >
> > >> >------------------------------------------------------------
> > >> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >>
> > >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> > >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> > >------------------------------------------------------------
> > >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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