Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

boot boy

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.15 in modern English

Syllables: boot boy
IPA

14

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A boy who cleans boots and shoes.

noun

One of a gang of violent hooligans who usually wear short-cropped hair and bovver boots.

noun

A boy who cares for a footballer's boots.

British usage

Example Sentences

"He's [Enda Kenny] acting like a political thug and a political boot boy in a party political fashion."
"Among Bryan Gunn's myriad incarnations, from Alex Ferguson's babysitter through Scotland goalkeeper to Norwich manager, boot boy to Alex McLeish was one of the less successful. Once, just before a Scottish Cup final, McLeish discovered his size 10s were still in Aberdeen."

Etymology

From boot + boy.

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

boot boys (plural) boot-boy (alternative)

Synonyms

bovver boy hooligan skinhead

Questions

What does boot boy mean?: A boy who cleans boots and shoes.
Where does boot boy come from?: From boot + boy.

How to pronounce boot boy

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “boot boy”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “boot boy”.
Repeat and practice — Say “boot boy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.