bootjack

American  

[boot-jak] / ˈbutˌdʒæk /

noun

1. a yokelike device for catching the heel of a boot, as a riding boot, to aid in removing it.

2. a notch or molding for the same purpose, cut into a piece of furniture.

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bootjack British  

/ ˈbuːtˌdʒæk /

noun

1. a device that grips the heel of a boot to enable the foot to be withdrawn easily

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Etymology

Origin of bootjack

First recorded in 1835–45; boot ¹ + jack ¹

Example Sentences

Best bootjack was that of Woodrow Weaver, 16.

From Time Magazine Archive

Governor Harry Woodring of Kansas exhibited a bootjack which was sold for $6.

From Time Magazine Archive

Later in the evening, when his mind had been set at rest about the bootjack, Laurie said suddenly to his wife, “Mrs. Laurence.”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Boots hereupon giving his audience the assurance, with the characteristic touch of the bootjack to his forehead, that "he hadn't found it yet!"

From Charles Dickens as a Reader by Kent, Charles Foster

A cast brass folding bootjack, resembling an old style percussion pocket pistol when closed.

From A Catalogue of Early Pennsylvania and Other Firearms and Edged Weapons at "Restless Oaks" by Shoemaker, Henry W.