by bootstraps

by (one's) (own) bootstraps

By one's own efforts to improve one's life or circumstances, rather than relying on others. After I declared bankruptcy, I had to haul myself up by my bootstraps and rebuild my financial standing.

See also: bootstrap, by

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

by (one's) (own) bootstraps

By one's own efforts.

See also: bootstrap, by

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.