And speaking of funny phrases, which we were yesterday, this one's right up there, too.  Evidently it became popular when lairds and ladies had servants to pull up their tall riding boots for them.  The rest of us have always pulled up our own boots, thankyouverymuch.  Eventually, the phrase came to mean someone who makes it on his/her own, with no silver spoon.  Please e-mail me at:  pjones41@kc.rr.com, and come join me at facebook.  We can be Farmville neighbors!