to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps
1
8.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
superarse
- I don't know how old he is, but there is probably still time for him to get an education, pull himself up by his bootstraps, and get that huge chip off his shoulder.
Examples
-
He worked tirelessly to pull himself up by his bootstraps and start his own business.
-
The concept of upward mobility is alluded to in this series: Daniel Boone evinces the philosophy of "bootstrapping": any man willing to endure hardship, work hard, and pull himself up by his bootstraps.
Academic text (2014) -
Have faith, pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
-
Learning to pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
Blog text (13) -
Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
-
Bill Gates did not exactly pull himself up by his bootstraps.
Blog text (26) -
"If we had a case of someone pulling himself up by his bootstraps and getting out of poverty, we might consider running a piece."
Fiction book (1999) -
When you're floundering, you simply sleep less, try harder, and pull yourself up by your bootstraps because it's what you do.
Blog text (23) -
After losing his job, he needed to pull himself up by his bootstraps and find new opportunities.
-
She managed to pull herself up by her bootstraps and graduate from college despite many challenges.
Synonyms
35
4.9
To become successful and have a better life by working hard
12
4.2
Able to live and support yourself without help from others
5
4.4
To support yourself without help from other people
2
7.4
To start or build something using your own effort and little money
To get better after a failure and start again
Antonyms
How Independent
- Informal
5
4.4
- Informal
1
8.2
121
3.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
pull + oneself + up + by + one + bootstrap
The literal meanings of the parts (pull + oneself + up + bootstraps) describe a physically implausible action and do not directly yield the meaning 'improve one's situation through one's own effort.' The expression is a metaphorical/idiomatic extension and its intended sense is not predictable from the constituents alone; cross-linguistic equivalents vary, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would likely not infer the idiomatic meaning.
Etymology
Pull oneself up by one's bootstraps comes from a strange, impossible picture: someone trying to pull themselves up by the bootstraps of their boots. That clear image became a way to say 'to improve your situation by your own effort' or to do something 'without help'.