Spell Bee Word: bootstrap

Basic Details

Word: Bootstrap

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: A loop of leather or cloth at the back or side of a boot that you pull to help get the boot on.

How to Spell Bootstrap

Syllables: boot - strap

Tricky part: It is boot and strap joined together. Students sometimes swap the r and a in strap and write bootstarp.

Watch out for: bootstarp, bootstrapp, butstrap

Memory tip: Picture a boot with a strap sewn on its heel. Write boot, then strap, with no gap.

Idioms and Phrases

1. pull yourself up by your bootstraps: to improve your life by your own hard work, without help from others Example: "With no money and no contacts, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and built a big company."

Usage Examples

Example 1: Grandpa tugged hard on the bootstraps to get his gumboots on.

Example 2: One bootstrap tore off, so the boot was hard to pull up.

Example 3: The riding boots had a thick leather bootstrap at the back.

Fun Fact

When we say a computer boots up, the word boot is short for bootstrap. Starting a computer was compared to the impossible task of lifting yourself up by your own bootstraps.

Practise the CREST Way

Word Makeup

Choose the correctly spelt compound word:

a) bootstrap
b) shoelase
c) toothpaist
d) doormatt

Word Cookie

Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:

b_otstr_p

a) o,e
b) o,o
c) u,a
d) o,a

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the incorrectly spelt word:

a) handcuffs
b) footprint
c) outskirts
d) bootstarp

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is a bootstrap used for?

a) tying up a parcel
b) cleaning mud off shoes
c) hanging a bag on a hook
d) pulling a boot onto your foot

2. Someone who pulls herself up by her bootstraps succeeds through ____.

a) a lucky prize
b) her own efforts
c) help from a rich uncle
d) magic