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Toe of the boot (articles to be used with toe)



 
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Official e-mail | Since as an adverb
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Toe of the boot (articles to be used with toe) Sat Sep 02, 2006 20:22 pm  Toe of the boot (articles to be used with toe)		  
Hi

1. Can I normally use toe of the boot?
boot toe?
boot's toe? Smile

2. If yes, how to refer to both boots (i.e. a particular pair of boots):
( ) toe of the boots
or ( ) toes of the boots?

2. What about articles ( ) to be used with toe ?
Is it 'a thing'? Smile
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Toe Sat Sep 02, 2006 20:28 pm  Toe		  
Hi Tamara,

Bit of a puzzler - the more I think of it, the more confused I get. I think I would go for toe in the boot if I were referring to that part of the boot. Toe can happily be with either article.

Alan
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Toe of the boot Sun Sep 03, 2006 0:39 am  Toe of the boot		  
Tamara, to my ears your usage is correct. Alan's "toe in the boot" sounds to me like the toe of the foot that's currently wearing the boot.
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Toe Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:42 am  Toe		  
Oh dear!

Have I put my foot in it?

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Bit of a puzzler Sun Sep 03, 2006 13:46 pm  Bit of a puzzler		  
Hi

Thank you.

Alan, I'm sorry for (some of) my stupid questions...
My head is actually built in a strange way - just from my childhood - and no one, as yet, have managed to repair it. Having had lots of good attempts, though. Smile

Jamie, you perhaps understand that I’ve just used directly the Russian grammar model ('proper case') for that.

…OK.
I will stick to 'boot toe' then… It seems that everybody can understand it right. Especially when you are supporting your saying by pointing (to) the subject with your hand Smile
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Bit of a puzzler Sun Sep 03, 2006 14:28 pm  Bit of a puzzler		  
Tamara wrote:
…OK.
I will stick to 'boot toe' then… It seems that everybody can understand it right. Especially when you are supporting your saying by pointing (to) the subject with your hand Smile

Exactly, Tamara! Hands and fingers (and maybe toes, too? Wink) often come in very handy as language assistants. Sometimes I even resort to drawing very complicated pictures in the air. Laughing

Amy

PS
I'd also tend toward using "toe of the boot" or "boot toe"...
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Bit of a puzzler Sun Sep 03, 2006 14:45 pm  Bit of a puzzler		  
Tamara wrote:
I will stick to 'boot toe' then… It seems that everybody can understand it right. Especially when you are supporting your saying by pointing (to) the subject with your hand Smile

Tamara, I much prefer "toe of the boot". Don't get caught up in the belief that if something is a calque from Russian it must be wrong. Some people make a lot of mistakes by trying to avoid calques.

This is a case where I think a Google count and analysis is appropriate.

For boot toe, I got 30,700 hits, but they all seem to be from product catalogues, and boot toe is usuallly a part of a larger compound in them, e.g., boot toe stretcher, boot toe clips, boot toe spikes, etc.

For toe of the boot, I get only 20,600 hits, surprisingly, but they are of a more conversational, colloquial, non-commercial nature: (a) The toe of the boot has a black rubber cap that also appears to be well sealed to the leather. (b) Stand up straight and push your foot forward into the toe of the boot. (c) Milly Mouse slid out of the hole in the toe of the boot.

For toe in the boot, I get only 1,020 hits, and they are of a different nature: A toe in the boot was used for the DNA analysis that identified the corpse. These examples usually involve a human toe that's inside the toe of the boot, or, oddly, the "toe" of Italy.
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Boot end :) Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:57 am  Boot end :)		  
Jamie, just to add Smile:

What I’ve found out right now (ALSO used for what I need to name) is boot end and the end of the/my boot.

Even though for my Russian ears 'end of the boots' unambiguously sounds as a calque used when 'these particular' shoes are worn out and done for Smile
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Tip Wed Sep 20, 2006 23:06 pm  Tip		  
I’ve just interrogated a 17-year-old boy (with active support of my fingers and my best shows for visual aid Smile) and he surely said - tip.
'tip of the boot', 'boot tip', 'boot tips'
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Toes Thu Sep 21, 2006 1:23 am  Toes		  
Tamara,
If I may put my foot down here Rolling Eyes
you were right the first time.
The correct way is "toe of the boot" or "toes of the boots".

It (or they) are 'thing's, so you refer to "a " or "the toe of a boot".

The "toe in the boot" would refer to the specific piece of the anatomy.
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Grind... Thu Sep 21, 2006 8:32 am  Grind...		  
Hi Art,

Thank you.

And sorry for the 'grind'…
Everyone who needs to speak foreign language (not mastering it well enough) in the country of its origin, knows well how blocking different 'unresolved language doubts' can be…

Tamara
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Toes Thu Sep 21, 2006 8:48 am  Toes		  
dOlier wrote:
If I may put my foot down here Rolling Eyes

Laughing Very Happy Laughing

Hi Tamara,

Did you find the tip about "tip" to be a good tip? Laughing

For some reason word "tiptoe" has suddenly popped into my head although that really wouldn't have anything at all to do with boots. Very Happy

Amy
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Toe of the boot (articles to be used with toe) Thu Sep 21, 2006 13:22 pm  Toe of the boot (articles to be used with toe)		  
Quote:
And sorry for the 'grind'…

Tamara,

There is no need to apologise,
I was trying to be facetious.

I think this site is here to deal with 'unresolved language doubts'.
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