This idiom describes someone who died while actively engaged in their work, passion, or duty, often heroically or defiantly, as if a cowboy or soldier fell in action, still wearing their boots. It conveys a sense of dedication, bravery, or living fully until the end, typically used in historical, personal, or laudatory contexts to honor someone’s commitment or spirited exit. The phrase carries a tone of admiration, nostalgia, or romanticized valor, reflecting cultural reverence for those who die in the line of duty and the human ideal of a purposeful life. It resonates in tributes or stories of perseverance, capturing the image of an undaunted end, and its Western imagery adds a layer of rugged heroism, evoking a frontier’s fearless spirit. The idiom often celebrates a life lived boldly, making it a stirring metaphor for dying in one’s prime or purpose.

The phrase originated in 19th-century America, rooted in the Wild West, where cowboys and soldiers dying ‘with their boots on’ symbolized falling in action, as noted in frontier ballads and dime novels. Its earliest recorded use appears in an 1876 *Chicago Tribune* obituary for a soldier: ‘He died with his boots on.’ The idiom gained traction in the late 19th century, reflecting America’s fascination with Western heroes, as seen in Mark Twain’s *Roughing It* (1872), which romanticizes frontier life. Its use was amplified in the 20th century through Western films, notably *They Died with Their Boots On* (1941) about General Custer, and media like *The New York Times* obituaries. The phrase’s adoption in British and Commonwealth English came through American cultural exports, particularly post-1940s, and its spread was fueled by its vivid imagery, evoking a heroic fall, and its applicability to dedication, ensuring its enduring use across English-speaking cultures, from war memorials to personal eulogies.