jackboot

American  

[jak-boot] / ˈdʒækˌbut /

noun

1. a sturdy leather boot reaching up over the knee, worn especially by soldiers.

2. Also called jackboot tactics.  brutally bullying, militaristic, or authoritarian measures.

3. a person who uses such measures.

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jackboot British  

/ ˈdʒækˌbuːt /

noun

1. an all-leather military boot, extending up to or above the knee

2. 1. arbitrary, cruel, and authoritarian rule or behaviour

   2. ( as modifier )

      jackboot tactics

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Other Word Forms

• jackbooted adjective

Etymology

Origin of jackboot

First recorded in 1680–90; jack ¹ + boot ¹

Example Sentences

For some people they can conjure up images of authoritarian states like Germany in the 1930s, and men in jackboots barking "May we see your papers please?"

From BBC

A disproportionate number not only did not even passively resist but showed themselves eager to lick the polish off Hitler’s jackboots, if necessary.

From Salon

HBO’s corporate soap “Succession” was not a drama about fascism per se, but it was maybe more powerful for focusing on the suits while the jackboots were being polished in the background.

From New York Times

I understood how growing up under the jackboot of Jim Crow might lead him to the philosophy of Black self-sufficiency articulated by Malcolm X, which Thomas espoused in his youth.

From Washington Post

In March 1988, he declared: "We refuse to be treated as the doormat for the government to wipe its jackboots on."

From BBC