# It's too late for the boots and belts... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 10, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598 "2013-06-10T01:40:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/1 "2013-06-10T01:40:08Z")
…but maybe we can save the watches! A British guy my ex knew in Alaska in the Army used to use this phrase along with raising his hands in the air. I instantly understood this to mean that the bullshit had gotten so deep that the boots and belts were already ruined, but perhaps we could prevent our watches from being ruined. Has anyone here ever heard this phrase? I find it has so many applications! ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/2 "2013-06-10T01:50:30Z")
This British woman born in the 50s has never heard the phrase. ---
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/3 "2013-06-10T01:53:55Z")
I love it. That’s right up there with FUBAR and clusterfuck IMHO. edit: never heard it before now either but will have to use it. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/4 "2013-06-10T02:22:14Z")
I love it, too! It fits the situation perfectly! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/5 "2013-06-10T03:51:05Z")
I think it was something Christopher Walken ad-libbed in a deleted scene from _Pulp Fiction_. ---
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/6 "2013-06-10T04:04:07Z")
Or maybe when he was dumping Natalie Wood overboard. Too soon? ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/7 "2013-06-10T04:16:26Z")
That’s a great saying, I’ll add it to my repotiore… repitoire… repitiore… list of stuff I say ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/8 "2013-06-10T19:42:19Z")
Heard it pretty much all my life in one variant or another - army Dad, navy husband. [mostly as ‘save the watches, the boots are already gone’] ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/9 "2013-06-10T21:55:48Z")
This expression was part of the company culture where I used to work. We’d abbreviate by simply raising our watch hand with a sardonic look on our faces when in the presence of bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/10 "2013-06-10T22:42:09Z")
I’ve not heard it before, but definitely adding it to my list! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/11 "2013-06-11T02:02:29Z")
This is going to be one of those things I’ve never heard before, but now that I’ve heard it once, it’s going to pop up three more times this week, isn’t it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/12 "2013-06-11T02:08:57Z")
WhyNot: I hope so! report back here if you do! ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-too-late-for-the-boots-and-belts/660598/13 "2013-06-12T03:42:39Z")
> [@redtail23](#): > > I’ve not heard it before, but definitely adding it to my list! This. Love it! Bet my ex-AF dad knows it. Not sure he will appreciate hearing it from ME, but I bet I get to use it with him at least twice in the next week. 😛