He got the boot..

The controversial coach got the boot after the team lost one more series.

The spoken English trainer at our college got the boot last month because the English speaking skills of the students did not improve even after six months of classes with him.

Boot – well, we all know what a boot is.

About getting the boot, try to think of it as getting the boot on your backside. Being fired from the job unceremoniously – being asked to leave in a rather insulting manner for non performance or for some other reason. There is a clear derogatory sense in getting the boot.

Thus, you would not use it for someone you have sympathy with.

Some examples:

1. The corrupt minister got the boot after the Supreme Court criticized the government for continuing him as a minister.
2. The team failed miserably in the next five foreign tours and made news for the tussle between the coach and the players than their performance on the field. No surprise then that the coach was given the boot as soon as the England series got over.

The key idea is being forced to leave a job, being sacked from it.

Some more examples:

1. The serving IAS officer got the boot when rape charges against him were established.
2. The new manager started on a very positive note. He spent a month just talking to shop floor workers, staff members and middle level managers. Then he came up with a plan to revive the company. Around a dozen supervisors got the boot during the massive cleanup drive. Several of them had charges of financial irregularities against them.
3. The new editor made so many mistakes that the newspaper owner was left with no choice but to wield the stick. The editor was told in no uncertain terms that if his performance doesn’t improve, he would get the boot before the next salary day.