My father pulled himself up by his bootstraps to become one of the richest men in the country.
New idioms dictionary. 2014.
pull (yourself) up by (your) bootstraps — haul/pull (yourself) up by (your) bootstraps to improve your situation by your own efforts without any help from other people. My father pulled himself up by his bootstraps to become one of the richest men in the country … New idioms dictionary
bootstraps — boot|straps [ˈbu:tstræps] n [plural] [Date: 1900 2000; Origin: bootstrap piece of leather or cloth attached to the back of a boot to make it easier to pull on (19 20 centuries)] pull/haul yourself up by your bootstraps to improve your position… … Dictionary of contemporary English
bootstraps — noun (plural) pull /haul yourself up by your bootstraps to improve your position and get out of a difficult situation by your own effort, without help from other people … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
