die with (one's) boots on
To die while still actively working or in the age or physical condition to do so (i.e., before retirement). The thought of growing old depresses me. I'd rather die with my boots on. With medicine and healthcare improving at such vast rates, far fewer people die with their boots on than ever before. Everyone thinks they're going to live a long, happy life. No one expects to die with their boots on before ever seeing a Social Security check.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
die with your boots on
If you say that someone died with their boots on, you mean that they died while they were still actively involved in their work. Unlike many businesspeople who die with their boots on, he has very sensibly left the entire running of the company to his son. Note: This expression was originally used to refer to a soldier who died in battle.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
die with your boots on
die while actively occupied. Die with your boots on was apparently first used in the late 19th century of the deaths of cowboys and others in the American West who were killed in gun battles or hanged.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017