brown boots and no breakfast

[lea-lea]

What does brown boots and no breakfast mean?

[Quizmonster]

Much the same as "Red hat (or fur coat) and no knickers", I'd guess! In other words, it suggests that it's all a show and done for appearances' sake only.

[DuzyEverwork]

Hmm, not being one to disagree with QM, but I was always brought up to believe that 'brown boots and no breakfast' originated from places like the mill towns and meant that the person in question came from a poor family..from a time when black boots were a social statement and only worn by the well dressed rich folk, and therefore being poor meant no breakfast.

[Quizmonster]

You could well be right, Trudi. I did say my offering above was a guess and that was because I could find no reference to it in any book on my shelves or any website dealing with idioms/quotes etc, which I took this 'brown boots' thing to be. It just sounded so much like the other one I mentioned that there seemed to be a 'pattern', as it were. Cheers