Your Mother Wears Combat Boots

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, Martha. This is Melissa from New York.

Hey, Melissa from New York. What’s up?

Well, I had a question. My dad used to say a phrase when something didn’t go his way or like he stubbed a toe or something or he needed a certain number of the roll of the dice and wouldn’t get it. And he’d say, your mother wears combat boots. And I was thinking, like, where did that come from? Did he make it up? Or have you guys heard that before?

Your mother wears combat boots. And he would say this to people or just to situations?

Just to himself. Like, you know, I should have done better than I just did that, you know.

Yeah, that’s a pretty tame insult, given the things he could say.

That’s true.

A mild bit of swearing there, not really swearing. Yeah, your mother wears combat boots. Sometimes people say your mother wears army boots or army shoes. Goes back to the 1940s, really became popular around the end of the Second World War.

But it’s descended from this tradition of yo mama jokes. You remember those?

Yeah, this Black American tradition of playing the dozens, as it was called, or also called sounding or capping or snapping. And yeah, so it’s just kind of part and parcel of that, this idea that back when men were mainly the ones that were in the military, your mother wearing combat boots or army boots meant that she was rather manly. Not manly, but mannish is a better word for it, you know, in a not flattering way.

A tough cookie, you said?

Yeah, but I don’t think meant as a compliment.

Yes, because I thought he might have gotten it from being in the Marine Corps or, you know, back in the 1950s and stuff.

Yeah, it did seem to have some vogue during the Second World War among soldiers, but it was also used among the populace. And by the 1960s, it was more of a counterculture saying than it was something used by the military.

And there’s other versions. I can tell by your toes your mother wears brogues. And fee-fi-fo-fum, your mother’s a bum. Or your mother wears a jockstrap.

Oh, my goodness.

I never really asked him why he said that or anything. I should have when he was alive, but I never did.

Yeah.

I think it’s interesting that he said it when he stubbed his toe, like to nobody in particular. I’ve certainly heard it back and forth, you know, between people. But that’s interesting. He said he never really actually said it to a person. He’d just say it to himself like he messed up.

Yeah.

Martha, do you say anything to yourself when you mess up?

Yeah, but I can’t say it on the radio. I usually say something. When I say something mild, it’s usually like, come on, Barrett. You can do better than that.

What about you, Melissa? What do you say?

I kind of can’t say that on the radio either.

Melissa, you’re a delight. Thank you so much for spending some time with us today.

Thanks for taking my call. I appreciate your time.

Yeah, you too. Bye-bye.

Love the show.

Thanks.

Well, what’s the linguistic family heirloom that’s been handed down to your generation? We’d love to talk about it with you, 877-929-9673, or send it to us in email, words@waywordradio.org.